The chair of the Board of Governors of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education extends well wishes to the Class of 2020.
First to our recent graduates, and on behalf of the Board of Governors of Pennsylvania’s
State System of Higher Education, allow me to say congratulations on obtaining your
degree! Even though in-person ceremonies could not occur this semester, I pictured
seeing you as it might have been under normal circumstances—wearing your robes, tassels,
and mortar boards, with your proud families there cheering you on. The Chancellor
and I—along with other members of the Board—always relish commencement as a highlight
of the year, and we can't express how sorry we are that this important life event
could not take place as planned. Nevertheless, we know that you will continue to achieve
greatness as you write the next chapters of your lives.
To our other students, our faculty, and our staff, allow me to express our most sincere
gratitude for the patience, perseverance, and determination that all of you embodied
this past semester in the face of an extraordinary situation due to COVID-19. You
have come together to stand against the odds and to demonstrate what it means to be
part of the State System family. It means that even when the obstacles are high and
the road is long, you find a way and move forward. We are right here with you and
always will be.
We honor each and every one of our graduates along with the rest of the State System
family that helped them achieve their goals. Congratulations and many thanks to everyone!
Cynthia D. Shapira
Chairperson, Board of Governors
Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education