After much deliberation, UNIST has decided to move its rescheduled on-campus commencement to a virtual commencement ceremony with no attendees in response to health and safety issues surrounding COVID-19.
The virtual ceremony, which took place on Thursday, August 27 at 10 a.m., honoured the Class of 2020 and celebrated their achievements in a manner that is safe and complies with national health protocols. At the ceremony, a total of 1,325 graduating students joined a family of over 4,500 UNIST alumni. The pre-recorded ceremony will be available via UNIST’s official youtube channel later in the afternoon, and will remain available to rewatch at your convenience.
At the ceremony, President Yong Hoon Lee awarded 213 honorary Doctoral, 285 Master’s, and 827 Bachelor’s degrees. It turns out, since its opening in 2009, UNIST has a total of 5,844 graduates in science and technology, including 508 Doctoral, 1,149 Master’s, and 4,187 Bachelor’s students.
President Yong Hoon Lee gives his commencement address at the 2020 UNIST Virtual Commencement Ceremony, held on Thursday 27, 2020.
“UNIST has made the difficult decision to conduct a virtual commencement ceremony for the Class of 2020 in light of the continued threat of the novel coronavirus,” says President Yong Hoon Lee. “This may disappoint many of our graduates and their families, but the safety of our UNIST community is our utmost prioriy.”
“As you embark on your careers—whether in academia, industry or public service—I know you will make the university proud. I am also confident that you will create the first and best possible outcomes in your respective fields,” says President Lee. “In times of COVID-19 adversity, your challenging spirit towards scientific and technological innovation will provide a gleam of hope in difficult times.”
Meanwhile, UNIST has announced the cancellation of the 2020 Commencement Ceremony, scheduled for February 18, as well as its 2020 Matriculation Ceremony, which was scheduled for February 25, 2020. Soon afterwards, UNIST announced its plans to do a virtual commencement with a limited number of attendees in light of COVID-19 crisis. Graduates may still want special photos with their cap and gown, so regalia rentals were also available. However, as the current pandemic is ongoing, the university later decided to move its commencement ceremony to a prerecorded, virtual format with no attendees.
