51����

Unique Commencement

On Saturday, May 22, 2021, history was made at LMCU Ballpark in Grand Rapids. After a 364-day delay, 51����’s Class of 2020 returned for its formal Commencement ceremony. It marked the first time degrees with the name 51���� “University” on them were conferred, it was the 100th conferring of baccalaureate degrees in 51����’s 145-year history, and it also marked the first time students in the 51���� Prison Initiative were awarded bachelor’s degrees. The Class of 2021, which also finished its final year of college during a pandemic, celebrated as the second half of this unique double header. In total, more than 1,600 graduates participated either in-person or online between the two ceremonies.