Convocation 2021 - Message from the Deans

Congratulations–not only for your laudable academic accomplishments but for your courage. It has taken resiliency and compassion to respond to the turbulent circumstances and dramatic changes thrust upon you this past year. We have all been profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread efforts to curtail its effects. Here in the College of Fine Arts and Communications, we have been especially humbled by your efforts to press ahead toward your educational goals despite unprecedented disruptions. You have adapted, rolled with the punches and pushed through. It is a testament to your talent and hard work, and to your integrity of spirit. How I wish we could gather together in person, with your families, friends, loved ones and mentors to celebrate this unique accomplishment!

Instead, we will be conveying our congratulations in our upcoming livestreamed convocation ceremonies on Friday, April 23 at 12:00 p.m. We appreciate the wisdom of religious and civic leaders who have counseled that we protect each other through distance learning.

Our college prides itself on our student-centered convocation ceremonies. The “ceremonial” parts are undertaken with reverence, respect and efficiency. That’s because we always want to devote as much time as possible to spotlighting the work of the graduates through presentations and performances. We enlist your departments to help us select a handful of peers from your graduating class to represent the incredible ambition and creativity that all of our graduates must attain. This year, our livestreamed convocation will feature speeches, performances and video presentations from student representatives of each of our departments. We also wish to widen the spotlight within a virtual gathering that we have dubbed “Share Your Story: #CFAC Grad.” Please visit convocation.byu.edu, where you can share the story of your education and help us celebrate the stories of your classmates.

We understand the disappointment you surely felt to learn that you would not be able to assemble in the HFAC tunnel with your classmates, don your caps and gowns and walk across the stage to receive your diploma. Please know that the unusual circumstances of the 2020-2021 school year do not diminish your academic accomplishments, nor your potential to go out and change the world for good. The lessons you learned and the people you became at BYU will empower you to impel that changing world towards progress, justice, faith and joy.

May God bless you in this effort.