NC State’s 2021 graduates are concluding their academic journey more normally this semester. For the first time in two years, the university will host spring graduation in person, albeit in a two-step format. The class of 2021 will get to don their caps and gowns for a limited in-person ceremony at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday, May 15, 2021. 

The Department of Crop and Soil Sciences will again host a virtual department celebration of our spring 2021 graduates. Department Head Jeff Mullahey underscored the university’s enthusiasm for commencement. “We don’t want to miss the chance to celebrate our students’ milestone achievement – even virtually. Earning a degree is a long journey. We are so proud of these graduates and wanted to mark the occasion.”

Celebrating Success

To commemorate our 2021 graduates’ achievement, and to cap off this long, strange year, we updated our  Celebration of Success website to capture and uplift this celebratory moment. (It’s when we would normally be cutting the big cake in Williams Hall.)  

In 2020’s early days of COVID restrictions, David Crouse, Director of Undergraduate Programs, discovered a format that would work during the pandemic and into the future. On our digital yearbook site, graduates each have their own page on the site to stand proud, herald their accomplishments, and even deliver their own recorded message.

Pride In Our Pack

Crop and soil sciences has 23 graduates completing degrees this spring. And it is a strong cohort.

• 7  Summa Cum Laude (GPA >3.75)
• 9  Magna Cum Laude (3.50 – 3.75)
• 3  Cum Laude (3.25 – 3.50)

More than a quarter of our graduates have been accepted into graduate schools across the country for higher-level study and two have been hired by Cooperative Extension to live out the land-grant mission of serving North Carolina’s citizens and farmers. 

“This is an exceptional group of students graduating this semester. For the final three semesters of their undergraduate programs, they faced the challenges of a global pandemic head-on, adapted to an online-only academic model, and yet still excelled in the classroom (albeit a virtual one). I cannot say enough about how proud I am of what has been accomplished under such difficult circumstances,” Crouse said.

Going On Record

Joining the departmental celebration, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and Department of Crop and Soil Sciences faculty and staff share their written and recorded messages of encouragement and inspiration. By video CALS Dean Richard Linton said, “You’ve embodied NC State’s ‘Think and Do’ spirit. And you have made this college and university very proud!”

“Your determination and hard work have brought you to this point. And today we celebrate you!” said John Dole, CALS Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs.  

Friends and family are invited to contribute to the celebration website as well.  Each graduate page has an area for comments and well-wishes and a dedicated #CSSC2021 hashtag feeds social media comments directly to our celebration site.

The Party Goes On

Graduates, the crop and soil sciences celebration continues. Our website is a visual collection of the members of our growing pack – a yearbook that can be referenced for years to come. We look forward to following your career progress and the contributions your work will make.  Congratulations graduates!