The Brandeis Technology Help Desk will be available to help anyone who encounters a technical issue joining a virtual diploma ceremony.
The main Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 23, 2021 will be accessible via Zoom, though the university has also planned a number of in-person initiatives to mark the occasion of students' graduation.
Graduating students, families, faculty and staff will need to register to join the event as an attendee. The ceremony invitation with registration information was emailed to the Brandeis community on May 10.
All virtual diploma ceremonies are being held as Zoom webinars. Graduating students do not need to register for diploma ceremonies. They will join the webinars as panelists so that they can be spotlighted with video as their names are read.
On May 21, each student will receive a unique panelist link. This link should NOT be shared. They will also receive reminder emails that include their link to join 1 day and 1 hour prior to the event.
In mid-April and again on May 3, graduating students received Zoom registration links to share with up to four parties. Please contact your graduating student for registration links. Graduates may request additional links by contacting their program administrator.
Registration links are not posted on a public webpage to maintain privacy and security for the graduates. Family and friends will need to register for the ceremony using a valid email address. They will then instantly receive an email confirmation that includes their unique link to join as an attendee.
Read more information about joining a Zoom webinar as an attendee.
Security of the Zoom-based ceremonies is being taken very seriously. The diploma ceremonies are taking place in the Zoom webinar format to help ensure that the events remain safe and secure, as webinar attendees do not have the ability to share screen, video or audio. In these events, only faculty, speakers and graduates will be seen/heard with video/audio, while friends and family will just be able to watch.
Brandeis will honor the Class of 2021 and the Class of 2020 with an in-person event at a future date. Members of both classes are also welcome to attend and walk in any future Commencement ceremony.
Ceremonies have been scheduled with several considerations in mind, including not overlapping where possible to accommodate students with multiple majors; allowing for maximum participation across multiple time zones; accessibility; staff resources and department preferences.
Starting in April, seniors will be treated to in-person and virtual games, outdoor gatherings, and giveaways. There will also be an opportunity to make an appointment for professional graduation photos to be shot at key outdoor landmarks on campus. In-person celebrations (with appropriate physical distancing) will occur before residence halls close on May 17 to enable as many seniors as possible to participate. View the complete schedule of activities and events for seniors on the Student Activities website.
Brandeis will mail diplomas to graduates in June.