careerplus-badges careerplus-degree Created with Sketch. careerplus-employers Created with Sketch. careerplus-faq Created with Sketch. careerplus-individuals Created with Sketch. careerplus-local-experts Created with Sketch. careerplus-pricing careerplus-registration Created with Sketch. careerplus-responsive Created with Sketch. careerplus-self-paced Created with Sketch. careerplus-stackable Created with Sketch. Facebook LinkedIn PinterestRSS Instagram Twitter Vine

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates from Clarke University

We continue to monitor and prepare for additional cases in Iowa and will adjust the university schedule or classes as needed. Please check our COVID-19 webpage for updates and other information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Update for Clarke University Commencement

Class of 2020

Dear Graduating Students,

As you have seen in the official communications, Clarke University’s May 2020 Commencement activities have been postponed for the health and safety of our graduates, their families, and the Clarke community. This decision was not made easily and not taken lightly. Annually, as a University community, we look forward to the formal recognition and celebration of the hard work and dedication it takes our students to reach the culmination of their academic studies at Clarke. Our delay in announcing a new Commencement has been purposefully cautious as we do not want to reschedule too soon, have people make plans to attend, and then find we need to reschedule again due to the evolving situation.

We are pleased to share with you first that after careful and inclusive exploration of several scenarios, we have decided that Clarke University’s 2020 Commencement will occur on Saturday, October 3, 2020 at 10 a.m. in the Robert and Ruth Kehl Center. This date holds special significance for a couple of reasons:

  1. The Clarke University community will be welcoming back all Clarke alumni for the 2020 Homecoming events schedule for that weekend with this unique opportunity to celebrate our 2020 graduates, as well, and
  2. This year Commencement and Homecoming will coincide with the celebration of Clarke’s 177th Founders’ Day.

If, like so many graduates, you felt abruptly displaced by this spring’s unexpected turn of events, we hope this invitation to “come home” at Homecoming will fill some of that hole. Knowing that not all graduates will be able to return for the October 3rd Commencement, we will also extend an additional opportunity for you to attend the May 2021 Commencement, scheduled for Saturday, May 15, 2021.

We know that you and your loved ones will likely have many questions about the logistics, and we are working on the answers to many of those questions. Carrie Kirk, Assistant to Academic Affairs and primary communicator for Commencement details, will be in touch with more information as it becomes available. Please continue to check your Clarke email address for details, and additional information will be mailed to your home address on file with Clarke.

Even though the spring 2020 Commencement has been rescheduled to October, students will still have their degrees conferred and diplomas mailed as was originally planned (mailing occurs approximately 6-8 weeks after Commencement or the degree conferral date – typically late June for May graduates and late September for August graduates). If you have questions about your degree completion, please contact your advisor and/or the Registrar’s Office.

You continue to be in our thoughts and prayers as you complete your spring semester, and we cannot wait to come together again in the fall to celebrate with you in person the significant accomplishment of your degree completion. Until then, please continue to be safe, healthy, and Clarke-strong!

With Warmest Regards,

Thom and Susan