VIDEO: Billy Porter, Tamara Tunie and More Drop in to Carnegie Mellon's Conferral of Degrees Virtual Ceremony

Billy Porter, Tamara Tunie, Ted Danson, Ming-Na Wen, Leslie Odom Jr. and other famous Carnegie Mellon University alumni today gave the university's Class of 2020 a send-off like no other. More than a dozen acclaimed alumni surprised graduating Tartans during CMU's first-ever virtual conferral of degrees ceremony.

Thirteen of Carnegie Mellon's high-profile alumni came together on Sunday, May 17, to lend their time, voices and support to the newest Tartan graduates. The group made cameo appearances alongside CMU leadership throughout the 30-minute ceremony, providing inspiration, advice and a bit of humor.

"I'm sorry that we're not all together in one spot, which would have been way more fun. The good news is that we don't have to wear pants," said actor and activist Ted Danson (CFA 1972), who led off the ceremony. "I'm so excited for all of you, and I hope we all get to work together someday. And to the rest of you who may be biologists, engineers and scientists: please save our lives."

The alumni guest appearances had been a closely-kept secret for more than a month. The process began in March, when members of the University Advancement and Marketing & Communications teams began brainstorming ideas of how to celebrate the Class of 2020 after commencement exercises were postponed. Ceremony organizers soon developed a list of CMU alumni, hoping they would play a role in the virtual conferral by sending video messages. The support was immediate and overwhelming: all 13 of the alumni agreed to participate.

"The response from this group of alumni is inspiring," said Scott Mory, CMU's vice president for University Advancement. "The passion of Carnegie Mellon's global alumni community is unparalleled, as is its consistent compassion for our students. Their participation during our degree ceremony is a fitting way to celebrate the Class of 2020 on a day that won't soon be forgotten."

The virtual ceremony, which debuted on Sunday morning, is a mix of "official business" from President Farnam Jahanian, Provost Jim Garrett, deans, student speakers and others, along with random drop-ins by famous faces.

Producer and actor Tamara Tunie (CFA 1981) also serenaded the graduates with a version of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" to wrap-up the conferral. The video ended with Billy Porter (CFA 1991) doing his best Ferris Bueller imitation, telling the graduates that the ceremony was officially over and it was "time to go celebrate and take over the world."

The celebrity appearances were just the latest example of Carnegie Mellon's 112,000 alumni coming together to support the Class of 2020 and CMU community. Hundreds of Tartan alumni have sent in written messages and recorded videos of congratulations in recent weeks. Carnegie Mellon's Alumni Association spearheaded the effort, reaching out to the CMU community around the globe.

The posts are shared on a new Class of 2020 page on the Alumni Association website, which will be updated with notes of encouragement in the days and weeks to come.

"It's heart-warming to see our alumni come together to support our new graduates as they conclude their final semester, which was full of challenging and unpredictable circumstances," said Gina Casalegno, vice president for student affairs and dean of students. "As they step out into the world, the Class of 2020 can be certain that the global CMU community of Tartans stands ready to assist and embrace them."

Check out the videos from the virtual conferral of degrees ceremony below!

Below is the full list of alumni who participated today:

Ted Danson (A'72)

Actor, Ocean Advocate

David Tepper (MBA'82)

CMU Trustee

President and Founder, Appaloosa L.P.

Leslie Odom Jr (A'03)

Tony and Grammy Award Winning performer

Tamara Tunie (A'81)

Actor, Producer, Director, Entertainment Consultant

Keith Block (DC'84, HNZ'84)

CMU Trustee

Former Co-CEO, Salesforce

Ming-Na Wen (A'86)

Actor and Disney Legend

Matt Rogers (E'04, E'05)

Founder, Incite.org

Susie Lee (DC'89, HNZ'90)

US House of Representatives, Nevada's 3rd District

Carmen Yulin Cruz (HNZ'86)

Mayor of San Juan

Larry Jennings (S'84, TPR'87)

CMU Trustee

Senior Managing Director, ValStone Partners, LLC

Luis Von Ahn (CS'03, CS'05)

CEO and Co-Founder, Duolingo, Inc.

Brian Olsavsky (TPR'89)

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Amazon

Billy Porter (Arts, 2001)

Actor