Head Football Coach Craig Bohl to Keynote UW Virtual Commencement May 16

University of Wyoming head football Coach Craig Bohl will deliver the keynote address to UW’s spring 2020 graduates during a virtual commencement ceremony Saturday, May 16, at 10 a.m.

The ceremony is scheduled to last about 45 minutes and will include all colleges and degree levels. It can be viewed by graduates, their families and the public via UW’s WyoCast system at https://wyocast.uwyo.edu/WyoCast/Play/385db7049ebc4b89bbf6034577ca797c1d. The recording will be available for viewing after the conclusion of the ceremony.

UW is scheduled to accord degrees upon 1,635 undergraduate students, 368 graduate students, 57 College of Law students and 36 School of Pharmacy students.

“We know that there’s nothing like walking across the stage in person in front of your classmates and families, but that’s just not possible this year. Instead, we’re planning a very memorable virtual ceremony for our spring class of 2020,” says Acting President Neil Theobald, who also will address the graduates. “Coach Bohl is not only a great football coach -- he’s an immensely impressive man -- and I’m excited to hear his message to our graduates who, due to the coronavirus pandemic, now have an even deeper understanding of overcoming adversity to achieve their goals.”

In his six seasons as UW’s head football coach, Bohl has built the Cowboys into regular contenders for the Mountain West Conference title. UW won eight games in 2016, 2017 and 2019; hosted the 2016 Mountain West championship game; earned three bowl bids in four years; and won the 2017 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and 2019 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl. In addition, the 2018 season saw the Cowboys earn bowl eligibility. The last time UW had achieved bowl eligibility in four consecutive seasons was 1996-99.

Bohl came to UW after building a national power at North Dakota State, winning three consecutive national championships at the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision level. He also was an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Nebraska, when it won national championships in 1995 and 1997.

In addition to the keynote address by Bohl and welcoming remarks by Theobald, other participants for the virtual commencement include Provost Kate Miller; the deans of UW’s colleges and schools; Faculty Senate Chair Ken Chestek; and members of the Board of Trustees. The emcee is the Voice of the Cowboys, UW sports broadcaster Dave Walsh. The UW Department of Music will provide the national anthem at the beginning of the ceremony and a special rendition of “Ragtime Cowboy Joe” at the end.

There will be a tassel-turning (undergraduate students) and hooding (graduate students) moment for the graduates, who will receive optional watch-party links from UW Student Affairs via email before the ceremony. Graduates also are receiving virtual commencement ceremony packages, which include mortar boards/tams, a ceremony program, UW stickers and other items.

For more details on the virtual commencement, go to www.uwyo.edu/commencement.