3,200 students to be honored with degrees at fall commencement
Nearly 3,200 Hokies will graduate Friday, Dec. 19, during Virginia Tech’s fall commencement ceremonies, which will be held in Cassell Coliseum.
The University Commencement ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. ET with the Graduate School Commencement ceremony following at 2:30 p.m. ET. Both events will be available via livestream video from the university homepage for those unable to attend in person. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. for the university ceremony and at 1:30 p.m. for the graduate ceremony.
The events will honor 3,180 students who completed their academic degrees during the summer and fall terms. Please use #HokieGrad for all social media posts related to commencement.
Executive Vice President and Provost Cyril R. Clarke will deliver the keynote address at the University Commencement ceremony. Clarke has served as the university’s provost since January 2019 after serving in an interim capacity from 2017-19. During that time, he worked closely with President Tim Sands, the college deans, and university administration and governance to advance the university’s impact as a 21st century global land-grant institution. In May, Clarke announced he was stepping down from his position as provost to return to the faculty.
During the ceremony, 1,684 undergraduates will be recognized for earning bachelor’s degrees.
The College of Engineering has the most undergraduates receiving degrees with a total of 456. Additionally, Virginia Tech’s six other colleges and the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine will award the following bachelor’s degrees to summer and fall graduates:
- Pamplin College of Business: 375
- College of Science: 284
- College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences: 273
- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: 167
- College of Architecture, Art, and Design: 56
- Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine: 48
- College of Natural Resources and Environment: 25
Two graduate students — Whitley Johnson, who is receiving a doctoral degree in higher education, and Binita Saha, who is earning a doctoral degree in macromolecular science and engineering — will speak at the Graduate School Commencement, sharing their thoughts about their graduate education journeys.
Virginia Tech will recognize 1,496 summer and fall graduates who will receive an advanced, master’s, or doctoral degree.
The graduate degree candidates include 831 master’s degrees, 341 Ph.D.s, nine doctors of education, and four education specialist degrees. In total, 250 master’s degree students and 120 doctoral students are expected to attend the ceremony. A total of 311 students will receive advanced graduate certificates.
The Graduate School also will recognize its Alumni Achievement Award recipient during its ceremony. Thomas Debass, who earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1997 and a master’s degree in agricultural and applied economics in 2001, is managing director of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Partnerships. Debass serves as an adjunct instructor at Virginia Tech and at George Washington University, and he has authored several articles and blog posts for the U.S. Department of State. He is the founder of several nonprofit organizations and programs and specializes in public-private partnerships and finance.
For the latest details on commencement, visit vt.edu/commencement.
