Washington University in St. Louis has canceled its 159th Commencement, which had been scheduled for Friday, May 15, due to the continuing global crisis of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to Chancellor Andrew D. Martin.
“After very careful thought and determination, as well as recent guidelines from the state of Missouri, we have made the immensely tough decision to cancel Commencement,” Martin said in a video message to graduating students. “As with all of our tough decisions recently, the safety, health and well-being of our community and our region continues to be our top priority and guiding principle.
“This is our moment to do our part to ‘flatten the curve’ and practice leadership and service for the sake of the greater good. While this really stings in the moment, I hope all of you can look back on this time and feel immense pride in the role you played in safeguarding yourself, your community and your world.”
Washington University continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing a number of major changes intended to protect the health and well-being of the Washington University community and the St. Louis region.
- Students are completing the remainder of the spring semester from their permanent residences. Only a small number of students who are unable to return home are remaining on campus.
- All courses are shifting to online instruction following an extended spring break, which will continue until March 23.
- The university is shifting operations to allow for faculty and staff to work remotely as much as possible.
To learn more about the university’s response, visit coronavirus.wustl.edu. Updates will be shared on that site as new information becomes available.
