UPDATED: Sept. 18, 2019 at 6:36 p.m.

Chancellor Kent Syverud on Wednesday implied that Commencement 2020 will be held on the Quad.

Commencement is typically held in the Carrier Dome, but the stadium will be closed while its roof is replaced as part of a $118 million renovation project.

“Many people have been working hard on this all summer. Their strong advice to me is that Commencement 2020 be on the Shaw Quadrangle,” Syverud said during the University Senate’s first meeting of the semester.

The chancellor said a message about graduation plans will be sent to campus community members Thursday.

The Quad is a grassy area bordered by Hendricks Chapel, Link Hall, Carnegie Library, Hinds Hall and Huntington Beard Crouse Hall. It’s named after former Chancellor Kenneth “Buzz” Shaw.

“We’ve explored many alternative options and prioritized in choosing Shaw the experience and tradition of accessibility,” Syverud said.

His remarks offered the first public indication on where Commencement could be held on May 10. Syverud announced in April of this year that the Carrier Dome would be vacated by March 1 of next year, as its air-supported roof is replaced with a fixed, steel structure.

SU has held Commencement in the Dome every year since 1981, when Secretary of State Alexander Haig spoke at the event. The Dome opened in September 1980. In addition to the new roof, SU also plans to install a new sound and lighting system and a vertically-hung scoreboard before the 2020 football season.

Some parents in recent months took to social media to express frustration with that construction timeline.

An administrator of a Facebook group for Class of 2020 parents shared a letter online last Saturday addressed to Syverud and Board of Trustees Chair Kathleen Walters that said students and families were “dismayed” by the thought of Commencement not being held in the stadium. The letter encouraged the university to delay construction on the Carrier Dome until after Commencement weekend.

“It is mind-boggling that this traditional privilege has been potentially denied,” the letter said.

“Parents who worked hard to make this SU education possible, alumni, family and friends looking forward to the big day, are saddened by the lack of consideration given to our Class and to our concern as a whole,” read the letter.

Syverud at the meeting said he had heard from “a lot of people” about graduation since April.

Commencement 2020 has to be “very positive, very special, very memorable,” Syverud said, as it coincides with the university’s 150th anniversary.

“I know people are worried about having a wonderful Commencement experience,” he said.

— Editor-in-chief Haley Robertson contributed to reporting to this story.

This post has been updated with additional reporting. 

Published on September 18, 2019 at 5:32 pm

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