Commencement celebrations are returning in person at California State University, Northridge later this month. Photo by Lee Choo.

Following two years of virtual and hybrid ceremonies due to the COVID-19 pandemic, commencement celebrations are returning to in person at California State University, Northridge later this month.

CSUN’s commencement celebrations begin on Saturday, May 14, with the university’s Honors Convocation, and will conclude the evening of Monday, May 23. Approximately 11,680 students from the class of 2022 are eligible to participate in this year’s graduation celebrations. The festivities include special ceremonies on Friday, May 20, for graduates of fall 2019, spring 2020, summer 2020, fall 2020, spring 2021 and summer 2021 who want to take part in an in-person graduation.

All the graduation ceremonies will be held on the University Library lawn, located at the center of campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge. They also can be watched live online on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/CalStateNorthridge or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/calstatenorthridge.

“Commencement is a magical time for our campus community,” said CSUN President Erika D. Beck. “We celebrate the accomplishments of our students, recognizing their academic achievements and the hard work and determination they invested to complete their degrees. We also salute the families and loved ones who supported our students on their academic journeys. The ingenuity and resilience of our students during these past two years is extraordinary, and we are elated to celebrate this particularly momentous accomplishment in person.”

Honors Convocation begins at 6 p.m. on May 14. This year’s convocation speaker will be CSUN President Erika D. Beck. Beck took office in January 2021, succeeding former President Dianne F. Harrison, who retired in early 2021. Beck came to CSUN from CSU Channel Islands, where she was president for more than four years. Prior to that, she was provost and executive vice president at Nevada State College.

The ceremony for fall 2019/spring 2020 and fall 2020/spring 2021 graduates from the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication; David Nazarian College of Business and Economics; College of Humanities; and College of Health and Human Development will take place at 8 a.m. on May 20.

That celebration will be followed at 1 p.m. on May 20 with a ceremony for fall 2019/spring 2020 and fall 2020/spring 2021 graduates from the Michael D. Eisner College of Education; College of Engineering and Computer Science; College of Science and Mathematics, and College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

At 6 p.m. on Friday, May 20, a ceremony will be held for the 2022 graduates from the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the College of Science and Mathematics.

            At 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 21, a ceremony will be held for the graduates from the Departments of Africana Studies; Criminology and Justice Studies; History; Political Science; Public Administration; Public Sector Management; Social Work; Sociology; and Urban Studies and Planning in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

            The evening of May 21, at 6 p.m., a ceremony will be held for graduates from the Michael D. Eisner College of Education and the Departments of Anthropology, Geography and Environmental Studies, and Psychology in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

            At 8 a.m. on Sunday, May 22, a ceremony for the graduates of the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics will be held. During the celebration, an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters will be awarded to civic and business leader Paul Jennings. A CSUN alumnus, Jennings was a pioneer in deregulated telecommunications services and is a longtime advocate for sustainability and those with learning disabilities.

            At 6 p.m. on May 22, a ceremony will be held for the graduates of the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication.

            The morning of Monday, May 23, at 8 a.m., a ceremony will be held for the graduates of the College of Humanities, and the Departments of Child and Adolescent Development; Communication Disorders and Sciences; Environmental and Occupational Health; and Family and Consumer Sciences in the College of Health and Human Development.

During that celebration, an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters will be awarded to community activist Irene Tovar. A CSUN alumna, Tovar is a founder and former executive officer of the Latin American Civic Association and an advocate for affordable housing and early childhood education for underserved communities.

            The university’s final commencement ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. on May 23 for the graduates of the Departments of Assisted Technology Studies and Human Services; Health Sciences; Kinesiology; Nursing; Physical Therapy; and Recreation and Tourism Management in the College of Health and Human Development.

            For more information about CSUN’s 2022 commencement celebrations, including health and safety protocols, visit the website https://www.csun.edu/commencement.

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