Regalia Ordering Deadline Changed to April 16

Unexpectedly high demand has forced the regalia company to move the deadline to order regalia to Friday, April 16, in order to ensure delivery in time for the May 8 in-person ceremony. Orders may be placed at uconnlaw.shopoakhalli.com. The UConn Hartford bookstore expects to have a limited amount of School of Law regalia in stock for those who miss the ordering deadline, and will notify graduates when that shipment arrives. Graduates will be able to visit the bookstore at 18 Front Street in Hartford or place an order for direct shipment by calling the bookstore at 860-263-2260.

Auditions to Sing the National Anthem

The tradition for our in-person law school commencement ceremony has always been to have a graduating student sing the National Anthem. Even though we will be virtual for our ceremony this year, we hope to still include this part of the May 16 program. If you are interested in auditioning to sing the national anthem, please send me an email (deborah.king@uconn.edu) by Friday, April 9th expressing your interest and include your musical resume (if you have one). Auditions will take place the week of April 12th via WebEx.

Virtual Commencement for 2021 Graduates

Our virtual ceremony for 2021 graduates on May 16 will include a slideshow of graduates which will include a headshot and a quote of your choice. More information on how to submit your headshot and quote will be shared soon, but for now, please start thinking about these items so that you can have them ready when the time comes! In addition, there will be an option to include a short, recorded video to thank those who have supported your journey in law school and/or to congratulate your fellow classmates. Again, more information on how and when to submit this will be shared soon. The video is optional, so please don’t feel as though you must do it if you are not comfortable doing so.

Reminder: Class of 2021 RSVP and Tickets for May 8 Ceremony

This is a reminder to members of the Class of 2021 to RSVP to the in-person commencement ceremony at Rentschler Field scheduled for Saturday, May 8, if you plan to attend. You should have received a link to the RSVP/Ticket Form in an email on March 22, 2021. Please have all information ready when you start to complete the form. It is important to remember that once you submit the form, you will be unable to make changes. Providing correct information the first time around is imperative.

Every graduate will receive three (3) guest tickets. When you are thinking about which three guests to invite, remember that they will be seated together in a pod. All three of your guests should be comfortable with this seating arrangement as pods cannot be broken apart (for example, two of them sitting together and a third guest sitting apart). All three guests will remain together in the seating pod. More information about tickets will be available in the coming weeks.

RSVP / Ticket Form for Commencement

Dear Members of the Law School Classes of 2021 and 2020,

Please take a moment to read through all details below related to the Commencement RSVP/Ticket form. You will receive a second e-mail today between 4:00-6:00pm EDT with a link to the form.

The following fields are in the RSVP/Ticket form. An answer is required for each field. Please have this information ready when you start to complete the form.

-First Name
-Last Name
-PeopleSoft ID Number
-E-mail Address
-Telephone Number
-Conferral Date
-School/College Graduating from

-Do you, the graduate, have a need for accessible seating?
-Do you, the graduate, have other accessibility needs? (ex. Need for SLI)
If yes, please describe.
-Do any of your guests have a need for accessible seating?
-Do any of your guests have other accessibility needs? (Ex. Need for SLI)
If yes, please describe.

(Note: In the Class of 2021 form ONLY, an additional question will appear based on your School/College selection with a follow-up information request. We are asking for your program in this additional question. For example, “School of Business, Accounting Program” or “School of Fine Arts, Dramatic Arts Program”.)

If Law, indicate program. (Then: If LLM within Law, indicate your specific program.)

It is important to remember that once you submit the form, you will be unable to make changes. Providing correct information the first time around is imperative.

If you have any questions about your Conferral Date, your School/College, and/or your Major/Program, please look in your StudentAdmin account or on your transcript (if you’ve already graduated) before completing this form.

Every graduate will receive three (3) guest tickets. When you are thinking about which three guests to invite, remember that they will be seated together in a pod. All three of your guests should be comfortable with this seating arrangement as pods cannot be broken apart (ex. 2 of them sit together and 1 sits nearby). All three guests will remain together in the seating pod. More information about tickets will be available in the coming weeks.

Message From Dean Eboni S. Nelson

Dear Class of 2020,

As President Katsouleas recently announced, the University will hold in-person commencement ceremonies at Rentschler Field in East Hartford. The ceremonies will be live-streamed. The Class of 2020 ceremonies are scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 8 10:00am-12:00pm and Monday, May 10 4:00pm-6:00pm.

The Law School plans to participate in these ceremonies. We recognize, however, that many of our graduates will be unable, or may choose not, to attend for a variety of reasons. We share the desire of many of you, moreover, for a more inclusive celebration of the Law School Class of 2020, for which we continue to develop plans.

Regarding the plans for the Rentschler Field ceremonies, I ask that you please read the message below from the University Commencement Office and visit the Commencement website for additional information.

I sincerely thank you for your patience and understanding over the past year. Your resolve and perseverance have been and continue to be an inspiration!

Best,

Eboni