Spring 2020 graduates will be able to participate in a virtual commencement, and be given the opportunity to walk in future in-person commencement ceremonies, according to a University of Iowa email sent to students Wednesday morning. 

Spring 2020 commencement ceremonies were canceled on March 18 along with the announcement that classes would be moved online for the rest of the semester as part of the UI’s measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. 

RELATED: UI seniors face the reality of canceled commencement this spring

“Hosting a virtual ceremony gives our graduates and their families a much-needed end-of-semester celebration while also protecting the health and safety of the Hawkeye community,” said the email, which was signed by UI President Bruce Harreld and Provost Montserrat Fuentes.

Each college will organize a virtual ceremony for graduating students, which will include speakers from university leadership, the state Board of Regents, and others, along with recognition of individual graduates. The ceremonies will be livestreamed on commencement.uiowa.edu. Graduates will also get a package including a program commencement program commemorating the extraordinary circumstances of the semester. 

RELATED: Opinion: The dream of commencement hangs in the balance for first-generation Hawkeyes amid COVID-19

In addition, graduates will have the option to participate in in-person commencements in both the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters. Graduates can still purchase their caps and gowns through the Hawk Shop.

“By the end of the semester, spring 2020 graduates will have faced not only the usual trials and tribulations of attaining a university degree, but also will have overcome the unprecedented situation of rapidly transitioning to online learning in the midst of a global pandemic — no mean feat,” the email said. “We are so very proud of all of you, and grateful for how quickly you’ve adapted.”