Mar 01, 2021

Spring Commencement Update

Campus Community,

We are pleased to announce plans for limited in-person Spring 2021 Commencement events on May 7 and 8. These in-person events will supplement the previously announced virtual ceremony and graduates are encouraged to participate in both.

These modified commencement events are being designed to safely celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates and protect the health of our campus community. 

We plan to hold three separate ceremonies for bachelor's and master's candidates in the UNI-DOME. The ceremonies will be organized by college, and graduates will be informed soon of the date and time of their college's event. A virtual commencement ceremony will also be held that weekend. May 2021 graduates can be part of both the live and online events.

Graduates will be allowed to bring a limited number of guests, and the university will livestream the ceremonies for those who cannot attend. Due to the limited number of individuals we can host in the UNI-DOME, these ceremonies will only be for May 2021 graduates. We will honor May and December 2020 graduates at a later date.

These modified ceremonies for bachelor's and master's degree recipients will include:

  • The announcement of names as individuals cross the stage 
  • Professional photography 
  • Social distancing and the requirement of masks for all graduates and guests 

Students earning bachelor's and master's degrees will receive commencement registration information in the coming weeks.

At this time, we expect that doctoral graduates will be recognized in a separate ceremony. Details for that event will be announced soon.

It's important to note that while we are excited to recognize our graduates and honor their hard work, we will continue to monitor public health information and guidelines to ensure this event can occur safely. If we need to modify these plans as a result of an increase in COVID-19 numbers, we will provide as much advance notice as possible.

Please look for additional event details in the coming weeks.

Panther Proud,

Mark A. Nook
President