TO:  University of Idaho Students
CC: University of Idaho Faculty and Staff
FROM:  Scott Green, President
DATE:  April 22, 2020
SUBJECT:  Commencement Aug. 1 Kicks Off U of I Re-Start

There is no place more beautiful than our Moscow campus in spring. I am fortunate to live on campus and work in the Administration Building, where I look out on our tree-lined Hello Walk and the vast Administration Lawn. Despite its beauty, the campus is not the same without all of you. We miss you. The vibrant buzz of students is what makes our university whole. I look forward to the day we can be back here together, learning, living and building Vandal experiences.

That time begins Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020, when we have a simple but meaningful Commencement ceremony for Spring 2020 graduates in the ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center. I regret it will not be the large fanfare we are accustomed to, but nothing happening now is what we are accustomed to. Our graduates have spoken and we hear you. A survey conducted by ASUI showed overwhelming support for holding a simplified ceremony for our 2020 graduates this August so your families can celebrate you. I understand this desire to walk across that stage as a ceremonial end to your educational experience. It is a moment of achievement and triumph. We will not have ceremonies at our statewide centers, but all graduates are invited to Moscow. Graduates, please watch for more information from the Registrar’s Office about specific information they need to accommodate your diploma cover delivery and the Aug. 1 ceremony. I look forward to seeing you in Moscow. You are also invited to participate in either the Winter 2020 or Spring 2021 Commencement ceremonies, if that timing is better for you.

We will follow the August ceremony with our traditional Vandal Welcome – that time we all come together to kick off the fall semester. All of us here in Moscow look forward to the energy and hope that fills our campus in August. I am sure you are looking forward to returning, too.

All indications at this point are that we will return to live delivery of classes and full campus and statewide operations Monday, Aug. 24, 2020. I know that is a day we all yearn for as a return to normal. We continue to work with Public Health – Idaho North Central District to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on our campus, as well as the governor’s office and the Idaho State Board of Education to ensure we proceed in a careful and safe way.

With a few rare exceptions, summer classes are scheduled for online/remote delivery. Campus activities including camps, recruitment and retention events and other activities will be evaluated and held, if possible.

While we all continue to live within a stay-at-home mandate, I encourage you to engage in the many opportunities provided by U of I Recreation and Wellbeing to stay active and healthy. Each week the student newsletter, MyUI, lists health and wellness activities delivered remotely.

The unprecedented changes to our world in recent months have challenged us all. I cannot express how grateful I am for your patience and support during this unforeseeable upheaval to our lives. I look forward to seeing you back on campus – whether at the Commencement ceremony or for classes. These are challenging times, but we are Vandals, and together we will persevere.

Keep Calm and Vandal On.

Scott Green
President

president@uidaho.edu
uidaho.edu/president