COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Subsequently the virus has spread around the world. The first local (Erie County) confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported March 14, 2020. The first case of an individual from the UB community was reported March 18, 2020.

In March 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the closure of SUNY campuses statewide. As a result, the University at Buffalo community experienced a rapid shift of many university services to a remote, online setting. In accordance with guidelines provided by New York State and the Centers for Disease Control, University at Buffalo's various schools held virtual commencement and degree conferral ceremonies in May 2020. As part of its mission, the University Archives collects documentation of the history of the university, including commencement events, and in the past has collected paper programs and other physical ephemera from graduation ceremonies. The commencement events of 2020 were delivered entirely online and are reflected in the digital nature of this collection.