University to Celebrate Conferral of Degrees on May 8

Duquesne will host a virtual ceremony for the graduating students in the class of 2020 at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 8.

The ceremony, which will be livestreamed at www.duq.edu/2020virtualceremony, will mark the official conferring of degrees for those graduates who would have received their diploma in a traditional graduation ceremony.

The University plans to hold an in-person celebration of the accomplishments of the class of 2020 at a later date. The May 8 celebration will allow Duquesne to mark officially the completion of students’ academic work.

“While this virtual event does not replace a full commencement celebration, it still marks a proud and important moment for the Duquesne community as we honor those graduates who are earning their academic degrees,” said President Ken Gormley. “The class of 2020 has worked hard and, despite the challenges of recent months, persevered to achieve this milestone in their educational journeys. I look forward to conferring degrees at this special virtual ceremony next week and to presiding over an in-person graduation celebration in the future, on our beautiful campus, once we can do so safely.”

Representatives of the graduate and undergraduate classes will provide comments during the ceremony. Gormley will give the Commencement address and officially confer the degrees.

Speaking on behalf of the undergraduate students, Daniel Smolsky is graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor of science in business administration from the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business. He is the 2020 recipient of the Dominion Distinguished Scholar and the Eugene P. Beard Award for Leadership in Ethics, and he served as the director of this year’s Freshman Orientation and on the Student Class Council.

Patricia Scott, who is graduating with a Ph.D. in nursing, will speak on behalf of the graduate students. Her doctoral dissertation focuses on the coping behaviors of members of minority populations who have chronic conditions. Scott earned a master of science in nursing from the University of Central Missouri, a master of business administration from Texas Woman’s University, and both a bachelor of arts degree and bachelor of science in nursing degree from the Pennsylvania State University. Presently a registered nurse working with the Veteran’s Administration in Pittsburgh, Scott has held nursing positions in home care, orthopedics and telehealth, in addition to working as a nursing instructor and faculty member at several hospitals and universities.

The virtual ceremony also will feature remarks from the deans of the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts, the A.J. Palumbo School of Business Administration and John F. Donahue Graduate School of Business, the Mary Pappert School of Music, the School of Education, the School of Nursing, the John G. Rangos, Sr. School of Health Sciences and the Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to view the celebration and to offer the graduates their support and congratulations.