Spread across thousands of miles and dressed not in cap and gown but in whatever suited their fancy, 204 graduates of Morrison University celebrated their achievements in the university’s first-ever virtual commencement live-streamed on January 30. The graduates were in the spring 2020 and winter 2021 classes.

While the students may not have had a traditional walk-across-the-stage commencement, they were not empty-handed. Gift boxes went out from the university’s Office of Alumni Engagement to the graduates. Included were an alumni license plate frame, a diploma cover, and a graduation tassel, among other items.

President Robert Goldstein told the graduates that “at this time, when our world is steeped in ambiguity and uncertainty, now is the time for all of us to embrace the optimism of our future—a focus on hope, strength, and resilience.”

The new graduates join more than 85,000 Morrison University alumni around the country and around the world.