SPIA Hosts Virtual Commencement for 2020 Graduates

The School of Public and International Affairs held its first virtual commencement ceremony on December 4, 2020, to celebrate the graduation of spring, summer, and fall graduates in public administration, political science and leadership in the public sector. Students who received the master of international studies degree were honored in a separate ceremony on December 11. Altogether, SPIA conferred 160 undergraduate degrees and 51 graduate degrees at our 2020 ceremonies.

SPIA’s Executive Director, Irwin Morris, welcomed graduates, family and friends at both ceremonies and recognized the extraordinary achievements of these 2020 graduates in a year filled with many unprecedented challenges. The programs also included remarks from student leaders Helen Hofelt and Kaylynne Longmire, department chairs Michael Struett, Jeffrey Diebold and Mark Nance. Thomas Birkland, the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, gave the faculty address at the SPIA ceremony and MIS alum Jackie Kempfer (’17)  spoke to the new MIS graduates about using their education to make an impact. Political Science students Wyatt Russell and Nina Worth were both recognize for distinctive department honors during the SPIA ceremony.

SPIA’s virtual ceremony was a collaborative effort that succeeded with technical support from DELTA Classroom Services Manager Shawn Colvin and the Video Communications Services (VCS) team. You can view a recording of the SPIA ceremony here.