Rice's spring commencement, originally scheduled for May 15-16, has been postponed because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the university announced Monday.
New commencement dates to celebrate the 2020 graduates in the Central Quad will be set when the public health crisis has passed, according to a letter to the Rice community signed by President David Leebron, Interim Provost and Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Seiichi Matsuda and Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman. The decision was made following the extension of federal social distancing guidelines through at least the end of April.
Rice is forming a committee to design and launch an online commencement ceremony May 16 for students who will complete their degree requirements at the end of the spring semester, the letter said. Details will be announced in the coming weeks.