APPLETON, Wis. — Lizzy Lynch of Escanaba has graduated from Lawrence University with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. She was also named to the 2020 dean’s list, which is compiled at the end of the academic year once all grades have been recorded. To make the dean’s list, a student must have earned at least 36 units in Lawrence courses during the academic year and have earned a GPA of at least 3.5.

The Lawrence community gathered virtually in mid-June for a commencement celebration unlike any other in the school’s 171-year history. Held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic that moved spring term classes to distance learning, the ceremony celebrated the accomplishments of nearly 270 Lawrentians in the Class of 2020.

“We are at a time like no other, when both far too much-and not nearly enough-has changed,” President Mark Burstein told the graduates and their families, all looking on from locations around the world.

Congratulatory messages from faculty and staff, shared via video and an online chat, were mixed with the traditional speeches and the conferring of degrees. Commencement speaker Natasha Trethewey, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet whose book, “Native Guard,” has been on the Freshman Studies reading list at Lawrence for five years, implored the graduates to find inspiration in the arts as they make sense of a world that has changed mightily since they first stepped on campus four years ago.

Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.