Class of 2020 to mark Commencement May 30

Article by UDaily staff Photo by Evan Krape May 19, 2021

Graduates will return to campus to celebrate academic accomplishments

When the pandemic changed the world in 2020, the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of the University of Delaware’s graduating Class of 2020 was one of the things converted from in-person to virtual. An online Blue Hen Celebration was streamed on May 30, 2020, with the promise that a more traditional event would be held in person when it was safe to do so.

Now, a year later, the members of UD’s Class of 2020 will have the chance to gather with their fellow graduates in Delaware Stadium for a special ceremony at 10:30 a.m., Sunday, May 30.

“We look forward to welcoming our 2020 graduates back to campus,” Beth Brand, vice president and University secretary, said. “The pandemic disrupted our celebration of this important milestone last year, so we are excited to finally give the members of the Class of 2020 the recognition they deserve.”

Featured speaker at the ceremony will be Ty Jones, award-winning producing artistic director of the Classical Theatre of Harlem and a UD alumnus.

Alumnus Ty Jones, award-winning producing artistic director of the Classical Theatre of Harlem

Jones earned two degrees at UD: his bachelor’s degree in communication in 1992 and a master of fine arts degree in theatre in 1995.

An award-winning actor, he is a veteran of five Broadway shows and won an OBIE award for outstanding performance in the acclaimed off-Broadway production of The Blacks. His acting credits also include numerous film roles, as well as appearances on network and cable television.

Since 2009, he has served as the producing artistic director of the Classical Theatre of Harlem, a professional theatre company dedicated to reimagining the classics and developing new work. Under Jones’ leadership, the company has developed a template whose core of financial discipline, precision marketing and exceptional programming has resulted in both growth and stability.

Jones initiated Uptown Meets Downtown, a program of strategic partnerships with downtown theatres designed to share production costs and build artistic bridges between communities. He also led the inaugural Uptown Shakespeare in the Park, bringing free, outdoor, professional theatre to Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park for an extended run.

At the Commencement ceremony, honorary degrees will be awarded to Jones and to Dan Rich, University Professor of Public Policy and a long-time University administrator.

To ensure a safe and healthy event, all appropriate health protocols will be followed at Commencement. For more information on the Class of 2020 Commencement and Class of 2021 Commencement activities, visit the University’s special Commencement website.