MADISON, WISCONSIN (February 11, 2021) — Nearly 3,000 students received degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison during a virtual commencement ceremony on December 13, 2020.
The ceremony, forced online because of the Coronavirus pandemic, was for Doctoral, Bachelor's, Master's, and law graduates.
Soccer star Rose Lavelle shared several life lessons as keynote speaker, at one point calling her alma mater “the greatest university to ever grace this planet.”
“Sometimes we're prepared for these moments, and other times they smack us in the face and hit us out of nowhere,” Lavelle said.
John Felder, Sunday's alumni speaker, recounted how he and many of his fellow students advocated for change on campus five decades ago during the 1969 Black Student Strike. The strike led to the creation of the Afro-American Studies Department, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary on campus this academic year.
“It has fostered deeper understanding of our intertwined cultures,” Felder said of the department. “It continues to speak of our rich diversity. We are very proud of the role we played in this achievement.”
In her commencement remarks, Chancellor Rebecca Blank praised the nearly 3,000 winter graduates for overcoming great challenges to get to this moment. The pandemic will shape this generation, she said, just as wars and terrorist attacks shaped prior ones.
“And no matter what direction your work takes you, I hope you will carry with you a commitment to what we call the Wisconsin Idea — a commitment to use our knowledge, skills, and innovative ideas in ways that will improve people's lives,” she said.
An estimated 2,932 degrees were conferred (2,117 undergraduate, 526 master's, and 289 doctoral).
For more information about UW-Madison, visit http://www.wisc.edu. View the ceremony at https://www.wisc.edu/commencement/.
Here are the degree recipients from your area:
HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME, COLLEGE1, DEGREE1, MAJOR1(S), DISTINCTION (if listed), COLLEGE2 (if listed), DEGREE2 (if listed)
West Liberty, IA
Debra Lowman, College of Letters and Science, Master of Arts-Library and Information Studies, Library and Information Studies, ,
