Dear Members of the Seattle University Class of 2020,

I send you greetings from your alma mater and hope that you and your families are doing well in these challenging times. As you know, it was our intention to gather together during the weekend of October 9-11 to celebrate your graduation from Seattle University. While the prospects for this were looking promising in the spring, we have witnessed in recent weeks a worsening of COVID-19 health conditions throughout the U.S., including Washington state. Therefore, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to not hold an in-person commencement ceremony this fall. The health and wellbeing of you and your loved ones is paramount and it simply is not safe to hold large events in Seattle for the foreseeable future.

We are greatly disappointed by this but want to extend to you an invitation to walk as a graduate at a future Seattle University commencement ceremony. Please check the Commencement page of the SU website for more information.

In the meantime, we want you to have the opportunity to receive the diploma cover that is typically given to graduates at commencement. If you would like for us to mail this to you, please complete this form. We also will be moving forward in creating the program with your name included that would have been distributed at the ceremony in October and will make available an electronic copy for you to have as a keepsake.

Yours is a special Seattle University class. The challenges you overcame and resilience you showed in earning your degrees speak to the incredible people you are and the impact you are certain to make in our world. Your friends and supporters at Seattle University could not be any prouder of you, as expressed in the video and Kudoboard at Class of 2020. Thank you for representing the best of our university, and please know that you and your families have my best wishes.

Sincerely,

Stephen V. Sundborg, S.J.
President