Tradition returns for CMC graduates from 2020 and 2021, who will share their moment under the Commencement tent and an opportunity to celebrate together during in-person, on-campus festivities, held June 3-5.
And, as in pre-COVID years, friends and families of CMC graduates are invited to campus to cheer on their loved ones as they walk across the Commencement stage to accept their diplomas.
For those who cannot make it to campus, a livestream of the joint ceremony will be available on Saturday, June 4, 2-4 p.m. PST. (A link will be posted on cmc.edu and the Commencement website closer to the event.)
Former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock '88 P'24, who ran for president in 2020, will deliver the keynote address for the Classes of 2020 and 2021.
Bullock majored in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics while at CMC, and was active in student government, serving as ASCMC president. He later graduated from Columbia Law School in 1994. He began his career working as legal counsel to the Secretary of State of Montana before becoming the Executive Assistant Attorney General and acting Chief Deputy Attorney General of Montana. In 2008, Bullock was elected Attorney General of Montana, serving four years prior to being elected two terms as governor of Montana. In May 2019, Bullock ran for President of the United States as a Democratic candidate.
During his two terms as governor of Montana, Bullock worked together with a Republican-majority legislature to address the state’s most challenging issues, including Medicaid expansion and support for rural hospitals; access to public lands; and investment in infrastructure. At the national level, Bullock was elected Chair of the Western Governors Association and the National Governors Association, where he focused on the Good Jobs for All Americans initiative.
Bullock served as a 2021 fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, and he is currently co-chair of American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic-aligned super PAC.
In September 2021, Bullock was awarded with the inaugural Dreier Roundtable Civility Award at CMC, recognized for "engaging in spirited debate within the framework of civil and respectful dialogue” and for exemplifying “the measured and thoughtful approach the country needs.”
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Phan Thị Kim Phúc, will lead the invocation. Kim Phúc captured the world’s attention in 1972 when at age nine, she was photographed running naked after being severely burned by a napalm attack during the Vietnam war. After a painful recovery, she has spent her life dedicated to the promotion of peace. She is the founder of KIM Foundation International and has been designated a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.
Health and safety: For friends and family attending the ceremony in person, the College will continue to monitor public health conditions and guidelines, as well as align plans with CMC’s COVID Visitor Policy.