To: Caltech's 2020 Graduates
From: Joseph E. Shepherd, Vice President for Student Affairs

I'm pleased to share with you information regarding Caltech's June 12 virtual commencement event. This event, as announced in the April 16 community message from President Thomas F. Rosenbaum and Provost David A. Tirrell, is the first part of our two-part celebration of Caltech's 2020 bachelor's, master's, and doctoral candidates. It is our hope that this virtual event will serve as a meaningful and personal way of recognizing your significant accomplishments and will allow us to confer your degrees in a timely manner. To take full advantage of the digital environment, we are working closely with student representatives to customize the experience for our community.

About the Virtual Event:
The virtual commencement will air on June 12, 2020, at 10 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on commencement.caltech.edu/watch. The ceremony will include remarks from President Rosenbaum and Board Chair David Lee, special remarks from notable Caltech alumni and friends of Caltech, and the conferral of undergraduate and graduate degrees. During the degree conferral, individual student names will be read by your deans and division chairs, just as they would at a typical in-person commencement event. In addition, the virtual nature of this event provides us the opportunity to create a personalized slide for each graduate to accompany the reading of names.

Ways to Connect Virtually:
In addition to the virtual event video airing at 10 a.m. on June 12, you and your friends and families will have opportunities to celebrate together across distances and from the comfort of your residences through student-hosted watch parties, virtual class photos, and a memory wall on the commencement website that will feature submitted photos, videos, and messages from the Caltech community. More information on these ways to connect will be shared in a subsequent email.

Regalia and Commemorative Items:
Prior to the June 12 event, each of you will receive in the mail a printed commencement invitation. After commencement, you will receive a diploma and diploma cover as a gift from Caltech.

We invite you to order regalia online and have it shipped to your home in advance of the June 12 event, so that you can pose for cap and gown photos and may consider including such a photo on your personalized grad slide or sharing it on social media the day of the event. Please know that the Institute is covering the cost of regalia for every student graduating in June.

In order to make this special event a reality, however, we need your help. Please complete the following items by the due dates listed below.

Graduation Checklist:

• Submit your name pronunciation: Name pronunciations must be provided to the Registrar's Office by May 15. If you are an undergraduate, you should have already completed this via online survey. If you are a graduate student, you should log into access.caltech.edu, open REGIS, select Graduate Degree Progress, and submit all fields listed under Marching Information. Select "Yes" for the ceremony participation question to activate the phonetic name field. Please do NOT use IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols, as they do not save properly in the database; use rhyming words or "sounds like" examples. If you no longer have access to REGIS, please complete this survey instead.

• Complete your Graduate Information Form: All students graduating on June 12 must complete the online Graduate Information Form by May 22. Through this form you will:

  • confirm your preferred mailing address for your printed invitation;
  • confirm your preferred mailing address for your diploma; and
  • provide personalized information and a photo for your grad slide.
• Order your regalia : Caltech is covering the cost of regalia for the entire Class of 2020. The deadline to order regalia online is May 22. Please order your regalia right away if you would like to submit a cap and gown photo for your grad slide.
• Complete the Bursar's Office Exit Process: If you have not completed the exit process, log on to access.caltech.edu and select the link My Student Documents to view your Bursar Exit Letter. Follow the instructions to complete the process. Complete the exit process by May 22. Note: If you are unable to view the My Student Documents link in access.caltech.edu, or if you have questions about the exit process, please contact the Bursar's Office by email at BursarDocuments@caltech.edu. All diplomas shall be held until the exit process is complete and your balance is paid in full.

You have received this email because we currently have you listed as a degree candidate or participant for the June 12, 2020 commencement event. If you plan to delay your graduation, please notify the Registrar's Office immediately at regis@caltech.edu.