In 1997, the UCSD campus community launched a three-year pilot project to try out an all-campus commencement ceremony. I appointed an ad hoc committee to advise both the Sr. Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and me on the results of this tryout and on optional formats for graduation at UCSD.
After engaging in this pilot project for four years, and after garnering feedback from the campus community and consulting with the Associated Students, I have decided to discontinue UCSD's all-campus commencement ceremony. Our longstanding tradition of separate undergraduate college commencement ceremonies is a meaningful way for our new graduates to celebrate with their classmates and loved ones, and that tradition will continue to cap off each academic year at UCSD.