March 8, 2021
Dear Alumni and Families of the Class of 2020,
I hope you have been staying safe, healthy, and productive during this historic year. I am proud of the strides we have made at Connecticut College to keep our campus open during a pandemic. We set up our own testing center, conducting thousands of tests per week, and—through the commitment of our students, faculty, and staff—have maintained an extremely low rate of infection since August. The creativity, dedication, and care of the community have been an inspiration.
During this time, we have also been thinking about you. Last year, when we announced our intention to reschedule your Commencement ceremony for Memorial Day Weekend 2021, we were reasonably optimistic that the coronavirus would be contained and that a much-awaited vaccine would be widely available. That has not proven to be the case. States and countries are still in various stages of lockdown, with continued travel restrictions. And while vaccine distribution is accelerating, there is much uncertainty about how much of the population will have received even one dose by May.
Under the circumstances, it is unwise to bring you here from across the country and across the world. Still, we promised to celebrate you in style, and we intend to keep that promise. In consultation with Emma Benington and other members of your class, we have decided that, rather than rescheduling for an equally uncertain time in the fall, we should select a date when we believe it will be safe to convene again in large numbers.
I am writing, then, to let you know that we have dedicated June 10-12, 2022 as our special weekend to honor the great Class of 2020. It will be a reunion, a celebration, and a culmination of an extraordinary time and an extraordinary class. And it will be just for you. Please mark your calendars. I have already marked mine.
We are now creating a special Class of 2020 Celebration Committee to plan the most meaningful weekend possible. Luci Chaplin, Associate Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement, will lead the charge. Please reply on this form if you would like to serve or if you simply have ideas.
For now, I want to thank you for your patience and your kindness as we have worked through a challenging year. I look forward with more enthusiasm than ever to seeing you in 2022.
With my best wishes,
Katherine Bergeron
President
P.S. Whenever I walk by the Class of 2020 Linden tree I think of you. I took the attached photo just a couple of days ago. Look how it has grown in just 9 months! I hope the same is true for you.