Commencement ceremonies kick off at UC Santa Cruz

Quick Take

UC Santa Cruz began commencement ceremonies on Friday morning, launching four days of events to honor the more than 5,000 graduating students this year. Noting that protesters had interrupted recent events they had attended, Chancellor Cynthia Larive and Campus Provost Lori Kletzer bowed out of graduation ceremonies, saying they wanted students to be the focus.

On Friday morning, UC Santa Cruz began celebrating the more than 5,000 students graduating this year, kicking off four days of commencement ceremonies.

In a message to the graduating class, Chancellor Cynthia Larive and Campus Provost Lori Kletzer congratulated students and announced they wouldn’t be attending this year’s ceremonies.

“Congratulations! Your determination and pursuit of excellence are inspirational. The Class of 2024 is an especially resilient one,” they wrote. “Many of you had to navigate the reality of a global pandemic, from your last days of high school through your early university years or as you studied at a community college and transferred to UC Santa Cruz.”

They noted that pro-Palestine protesters had interrupted events they attended over the past several weeks. Consequently, Larive and Kletzer said they preferred to be absent in an effort to eliminate disruption and keep the focus on students.

“We do not want our presence at commencement to distract from families and friends recognizing and celebrating your accomplishment,” they wrote. “Because of that, we will not attend the ceremonies in person.”

The ceremonies are taking place from Friday through Monday on the East Upper Field and are organized by each college in the university’s traditional style. There are 10 residential college ceremonies, the graduate division ceremony and two celebrations: the Baskin School of Engineering and Chicanx/Latinx.