Sunday’s winter commencement ceremony marked a return to an in-person celebration at the Kohl Center after a virtual winter commencement in December of 2020 due to COVID-19. It was the first commencement to include family and friends since December 2019.

Just over 1,800 doctoral, professional, master’s, and bachelor’s students earned degrees Sunday. About 1,240 of them took part in the ceremony at the Kohl Center. Total attendance, including graduates, was 5,954.

Chancellor Rebecca Blank told graduates that a college degree is the best investment they will ever make, and that to have finished their degrees while living through a life-threatening pandemic that disrupted every aspect of life was no small thing.

Visit the virtual CALS Commencement celebration at commencement.cals.wisc.edu to find a video tribute, graduate profiles and social media posts.