UC ready to cheer virtual commencement

The University of Cincinnati will celebrate fall commencement on Dec. 11 and 12 with virtual ceremonies to recognize the accomplishments of more than 2,300 students.

The ceremonies, which will stream live here, will mark UC’s second virtual celebration of its kind during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

UC is classified as a Research 1 institution by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education. As a national research leader, UC faculty and their students have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in extraordinary ways.

UC Health and the UC College of Medicine helped test the Moderna coronavirus vaccine, which has proven 95% effective in clinical trials.

“Human beings now have hope,” lead investigator and College of Medicine professor Carl Fichtenbaum told The Cincinnati Enquirer.

The UC College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Pharmacy joined with Children’s Hospital Medical Center to create the Geospatial Health Advising Group to track the spread of coronavirus across Ohio and the United States. The group published regular public health policy briefs to help health administrators and elected officials make informed decisions about the crisis.

Across all colleges, UC responded to the pandemic in ways big and small. Early in the outbreak, science and engineering departments donated needed personal protective equipment to hospitals. UC’s COVID-19 Design Innovation Team designed new formfitting personal protective equipment for health care workers. UC biologists studied the efficacy of silk material over cotton or synthetics in homemade face masks. 

“To get out of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ll have to science our way out of it,” said Brett Kissela, MD, senior associate dean in the UC College of Medicine. “And the way to do that is through research.”

Kissela explained how UC researchers are addressing the pandemic in this UC Answers video.

UC’s 2020 fall commencement class consists of 2,348 students earning 2,457 degrees. Some UC programs allow students to earn dual degrees. The class includes 186 associate degrees, 1,315 bachelor’s degrees, 827 master’s degrees, 124 doctoral degrees and five professional degrees.

Nearly 400 of the graduates are first-generation college students. One hundred are U.S. veterans or dependents of veterans. Another 61 are graduates of Cincinnati Public Schools.

Twenty students will celebrate their birthday during commencement. 

While 62% of the graduating class are from Ohio, the fall graduates come from 48 countries on six continents, including Australia, India, Colombia, Jordan, China, Ethiopia, Norway and Indonesia. In the United States, UC graduates hail from 48 states. (New Hampshire and Maine don’t know what they’re missing.)

The youngest graduate is 18; the oldest, 67, both earning a bachelor’s degree. Women make up about 56% of the fall 2020 class.

UC College of Arts and Sciences graduate Querida Gyimah will have an international following at commencement. She plans to host a Zoom graduation party for family in Atlanta, Ghana and England.

“It would have been a trek for them to come to Cincinnati, so this is kind of advantageous for us. We can watch it virtually,” she said. “It’s a silver lining.”

Gyimah, a neuroscience major, will celebrate receiving a second bachelor’s degree at UC’s commencement after earning a degree in biology from the University of Pennsylvania. She wants to pursue a career in medicine after working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the opiate crisis in rural Appalachia.

“That opened my eyes to the disparities in access to public health in rural areas,” she said. “If I referred people for HIV or hepatitis C treatment, they would have to travel for hours to get medical attention.”

Gyimah said at UC she was given a chance to work on a neuroscience research project relating to addiction.

“It was perfectly aligned with what I wanted to study,” she said. “The opportunities are endless here. I’m really grateful to the staff and faculty. They encouraged me to pursue my research interests.”

Tyla Thompson, a liberal arts major, will celebrate commencement in Cincinnati with her family. She is a first-generation college student who has faced unthinkable challenges. Her mother suffered a fatal heart attack when Thompson was 9. Her father, Donald Hill, raised her and her five brothers and sisters.

“I’m beyond proud of her,” Hill said. “She is showing me she’s got what it takes to succeed. She doesn’t let obstacles get in her way. Her mom would be very proud.”

The global pandemic forced universities across the country to respond quickly to keep students and faculty safe. UC faculty leaned on technology and innovation to keep courses on track, while students rose to the challenge of remote learning.

UC students took part in national protests for social justice, leading peaceful demonstrations in Cincinnati.

Featured image at top: The UC Bearcat is ready to celebrate UC's 2020 fall commencement. Photo/Lisa Ventre/UC Creative + Brand