2020 & 2021 Commencement

Cumberlands conferred slightly more than 4,500 degrees this academic year, including 3,200 graduate students and 1,300 undergraduates. Students in the Class of 2021 hailed from 40 states and territories as well as multiple countries, including Canada, Gambia, India, Jamaica, Madagascar, Serbia, Spain, Taiwan, and Ukraine, among others.

Due to COVID social distancing precautions and limited building capacity, the university was unable to host commencement ceremonies for graduate students this year. In an email to the graduate students, Emily Coleman, provost at Cumberlands, acknowledged that it had been a “difficult decision” that university leadership had initially “hoped and planned” to be different. She added, “We value what you have contributed to our academic community during your studies at Cumberlands. We are proud of what you have accomplished and welcome you into our alumni family.”

To watch ceremonies or download photos, visit ucumberlands.edu/graduation

Students are the heartbeat of our university. Whether a graduate student or an undergrad, regardless of background or beliefs, whether living in Williamsburg or in a country across the world, each student who takes courses at Cumberlands makes their mark on the school in some way. This year was tough. Everyone faced different struggles. But there are two things that tie all our graduates together. Number one, all are part of one big Cumberlands family. And number two, they graduated! From everyone at the university, congratulations, Classes of 2020 and 2021!

To watch ceremonies or download photos, visit ucumberlands.edu/graduation

To watch ceremonies or download photos, visit ucumberlands.edu/graduation

In spring 2020, commencement ceremonies were cancelled suddenly due to the pandemic. (The university sent “grad boxes” to all undergraduate and graduate students to deliver their diplomas and supply a discount voucher for the Cumberlands bookstore.) This spring, all graduates who completed their associate or bachelor’s degrees in spring 2020 were given the option to attend an in-person commencement ceremony. Forty students attended, finally enjoying the ceremony they didn’t get to have the year prior.

To watch ceremonies or download photos, visit ucumberlands.edu/graduation

To watch ceremonies or download photos, visit ucumberlands.edu/graduation

President Dr. Larry Cockrum gave his heartfelt congratulations to the students and offered them a few reminders as they take their next step in life.

You will have a unique story to tell throughout your life about the circumstances of your senior year. How you respond to circumstances is more important, more defining, and more lasting than the circumstance itself. Always remember that with hopefulness, with preparation, and with the proper tools, we are all capable of a new and positive beginning.

To watch ceremonies or download photos, visit ucumberlands.edu/graduation