BOULDER, Colo. — The University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) awarded more than 9,300 degrees during its spring commencement ceremony Thursday.
More than 9,400 total degrees were given to students ranging in age from 20-63 including: 6,882 bachelor’s degrees, 1,789 master’s degrees, 141 MBAs, 194 law degrees and 464 doctoral degrees.
Many students graduating Thursday were high school graduates in May 2020 and did not get a ceremony or celebration due to the pandemic. They also started at CU Boulder during the days of virtual classes, vaccine rollouts and a return to in-person instruction.
Traffic was expected to be heavy in and out of Boulder and on campus. An estimated 30,000 people attended the ceremony, CU said.
This was also the final commencement for CU Chancellor Phil DiStefano before he retires from the role and Bud Coleman's final year as commencement marshal.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak delivered the commencement speech Thursday morning at Folsom Field on the CU Boulder campus.
Wozniak attended CU Boulder in 1968–69 before returning to California, where he co-founded Apple Computer Inc. with Steve Jobs in 1976. Wozniak holds an honorary doctorate in engineering, conferred in 1989, from CU Boulder.
Wozniak helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apple’s first line of products, the Apple I and II.
“As a high school senior, my first trip out of California was to Boulder, with a couple of friends,” Wozniak said. “We awoke the next morning to news of a snowfall. We opened the curtains and, yes, it had snowed. I had never before been in real snow. Despite the out-of-state tuition, my parents allowed me to follow my heart. The love of snow and cold has never left me.”
CU said Wozniak holds 10 honorary degrees, in addition to a degree in electrical engineering/computer science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1981.
"My time at CU was the greatest of my life, with independence and great intellectual and physical energies. I have spoken so highly of CU ever since that two of my children actually went here," Wozniak said.
“Steve Wozniak is an icon in the computing industry whose life has been marked by innovation, leadership and generosity —values that CU Boulder seeks to instill in our graduates,” said CU Chancellor Philip DiStefano. “I’m confident his message will ignite listeners’ imaginations and challenge us to pursue our own unique paths.”
“After searching for a guest who embodies our university values and aligns with the resilience and passion of the Class of 2024, Senior Class Council is proud and honored to welcome Steve Wozniak as this year’s commencement speaker,” said Jacob Baca, Senior Class Council president. “We look forward to his words of wisdom.”
CU brought back its in-person commencement ceremony in 2022 and 2023 after holding virtual ceremonies in 2020 and 2021. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis delivered CU Boulder's commencement address in 2023.
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