Columbia University canceled its large university-wide commencement ceremony, originally set for May 15, due to ongoing pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Instead, students will attend a series of smaller, school-based ceremonies this week and next.
The decision was made after consulting with students and comes amid broader discussions at universities nationwide about how to handle commencements, especially for those students whose high school graduations were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. While Columbia is opting for smaller gatherings, other universities like Emory University in Atlanta have moved their ceremonies to alternative venues, and schools like the University of Michigan and Indiana University have managed to hold their events with minimal disruption.
Columbia’s move to cancel the large commencement saves its president, Minouche Shafik, from delivering the address in the same part of campus where police dismantled a protest encampment just last week. According to university officials, students indicated that smaller celebrations with their respective schools would be more meaningful for them and their families.
