Graduates at a commencement ceremony in 2015. (James Bradbury/CU Independent)
University of Colorado Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano announced on Wednesday, Feb. 9, that the university would hold its 2022 commencement ceremony in person.
“I am excited that our students and their families will be able to join together with our faculty and staff to celebrate the many achievements of the class of 2022,” DiStefano said in a message to university community members.
Since 2020, CU Boulder has not had an in-person commencement ceremony. Complications due to COVID-19 cases kept two graduating classes from celebrating outside of a virtual event.
DiStefano said that Emmy award-winning News Correspondent Tom Costello would be 2022’s commencement speaker. Costello graduated from CU Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism in 1987 and spent six years at 9News Denver. Now based in Washington D.C., he reports daily across multiple NBC News and MSNBC platforms, including TODAY and NBC Nightly News.
“[Costello] is a spirited leader among today’s media outlets, resilient in the face of dismay and an ethical, fact-based storyteller,” said Julia Baum, president of CU Boulder’s Senior Class Council. “We cannot wait to hear what wisdom he will share with our graduating class.”
Costello said he is “honored” in a video on CU Boulder’s Instagram, adding he’s “so looking forward to coming home to Boulder.”
Although DiStefano said that he looked forward to an in-person ceremony, he also said that the university would monitor and comply with public health guidelines. In the last month, Boulder County saw a severe spike in COVID-19 cases which helped in the decision process for the university to go remote at the start of the spring semester.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
William Oster contributed to this story.
Contact CU Independent Managing Editor Henry Larson at henry.larson@colorado.edu.
