Welcome to the
Graduate Theological Union
Commencement Website
Click here to watch a replay of the livesteam of the 2019 GTU Commencement
Commencement Update
The GTU Commencement occurs once a year, usually on the second Thursday in May, and is open to the public. The event abounds with academic regalia, music, admittedly, a few speeches, and time to introduce each graduate to the community where the graduate receives a diploma and is invested in the hood of her/his degree. This year, however, due to the shelter-in-place order in the Bay Area and the state of California, sadly, we are required to cancel the GTU Commencement Exercises.
My team, including Chai and Fredonia, is partnering with Marketing and Communications to create a microsite to celebrate the work and accomplishments of the graduating class online. We hope the microsite will also give an opportunity to catch a glimpse into the amazing diversity of the GTU academic community.
We will continue to work on a Graduation Program, which we plan to distribute electronically, and hopefully printed copies that will be mailed to the graduates at a later point in time.
Furthermore, we are planning to invite all of the 2020 Graduates to participate in the 2021 Commencement Exercises. Since we do not know what the summer and fall has in store for us, we have decided that we cannot possibly postpone this year's commencement, but simply invite the graduates back to participate in the ceremony next year.
We understand this may be difficult news to hear, but we want to take heed of the advice from the CDC and our state government on matters of events and social distancing. We are grateful for considering this decision favorably and affirming it.
Eventhough the Commecement Exercises are cancelled for this year, we would still need to receive the "intent to graduate forms" and the "commencement participation forms" to capture important information.
Links to important forms and documents:
Intent to Graduate Forms for Fall 2019
GTU Doctoral Student Statement of Intent to Graduate form Fall 2019 (due August 31, 2019)
Common MA Program Statement of Intent to Graduate form Fall 2019 (due August 31, 2019)
Intent to Graduate Forms for Spring 2020
GTU Doctoral Student Statement of Intent to Graduate form Spring 2020 (due January 15, 2020)
Common MA Program Statement of Intent to Graduate form Spring 2020 (due January 15, 2020)
Commencement Participation Forms Spring 2020
GTU Commencement Events RSVP and Participation Form Spring 2020 (due March 1, 2020)
Faculty Commencement Events RSVP and Participation Form (due March 13, 2020)
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me at warce@gtu.edu or 510-649-2440 or Fredonia Thompson at fthompson@gtu.edu or 510-649-2461 or Chaitanya Motupalli at cmotupalli@gtu.edu or 510-649-2464.
Stay healthy and be well!
Sincerely,
Wendy Arce, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of Students