PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) —The University of Pennsylvania announced that because of the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s commencement will be canceled.
University President Amy Gutmann issued a statement Monday evening, saying they are following the CDC’s recommendations of limiting gatherings to less than 50 people for the next two months.
“To protect the health of our graduates, their families, alumni, and faculty and staff of the University—our highest priority in the face of this unprecedented coronavirus pandemic—we are cancelling this year’s on-campus Commencement events and moving them to a virtual ceremony that will be broadcast online,” she said in the statement.
Based on the recent recommendations of the CDC and leading public health experts, we cannot responsibly plan to bring thousands of people to campus for our traditional Commencement and Alumni Weekend in May.
— Penn (@Penn)
March 16, 2020 She said the university is exploring the possibility of a celebration on campus in the fall.
The broadcast will be on May 16-18, the same days the on-campus activities were planned.
University alumni will learn about the plans for reunion celebrations later this week.
