University of New Haven to award 1,600 Degrees During Two In-Person Commencement Ceremonies on May 17

Morning and afternoon ceremonies will take place at the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport. The Commencement address will be delivered by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal ’00 Hon., and honorary degrees will be awarded to business executive and philanthropist His Excellency Mr. Amr Al-Dabbagh as well as longtime University benefactor Lois Bergami.

May 10, 2021

With comprehensive COVID protocols in place, the University of New Haven is set to hold in-person Commencement ceremonies for its Class of 2021 on Monday, May 17, at the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport. More than 1,600 undergraduate and graduate degrees will be awarded.

The 11 a.m. ceremony will recognize graduates of the University’s College of Arts and Sciences, School of Health Sciences, and Tagliatela College of Engineering. The 4 p.m. ceremony will honor graduates of the Pompea College of Business and the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences.

The keynote address will be delivered by United States Senator Richard Blumenthal. A longtime supporter of the University of New Haven, Senator Blumenthal was first elected to the United States Senate in 2010, following a distinguished 20-year tenure as Attorney General for the State of Connecticut.

As part of the morning ceremony, the University will award a degree posthumously to Joshua Goodart ’21, a cybersecurity & networks major from Oxford, Conn., who died earlier this year due to complications from COVID-19. His family will be in attendance to accept his degree.

Also during the morning ceremony, the University will award an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree to His Excellency Mr. Amr Al-Dabbagh, the chairman and CEO of the Al-Dabbagh Group, a family-owned business conglomerate founded in 1962 that has been recognized among the top companies to work for in Saudi Arabia. He also is the founder of Philanthropy University, which he established to help nonprofit leaders make an impact around the world.

At the afternoon ceremony, the University will award an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree to Lois Bergami. One of the University’s most devoted benefactors, Lois and her husband, Sam Bergami ’85 EMBA ’02 Hon., were instrumental in the development of the Bergami Center for Science, Technology, and Innovation, the University’s newest academic building that opened last year. The home of the University’s award-winning campus radio station also bears Lois Bergami’s name.

At Commencement, each graduate is permitted to have two guests. All guests will be seated in “pods” that are physically distanced from other guests. All guests and graduates must show proof of either being fully vaccinated; a negative COVID-19 test taken on or after May 14 for graduates or on or after May 12 for guests; or a positive COVID-19 test in the last 90 days. Anyone who tests positive on or after May 7 will not be permitted to attend the ceremony.

For more information about Commencement or to view a live stream the day of the event, visit newhaven.edu/commencement.