Celebration of Graduates
2020 Commencement RSVPs Requested for May 7, 2021 Ceremony
Attention all 2019-2020 graduates:
A survey has been sent to your Shepherd email address requesting your RSVP to our rescheduled commencement ceremony. The May 2019-2020 ceremony is scheduled for Friday, May 7, 2021, pending the Governor’s building capacity and social distancing restrictions being lifted. Once we gather enough responses, we will send out a follow-up email with the ceremony time. There will be one ceremony for 2019-2020 undergraduate and graduate students. Please check your email to respond. We hope to see everyone in May!
Thank you,
Jenny
Jennifer Flora DEL, MBA, MA
Commencement Committee Chair
Wellness Center Director
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October 2020 Commencement Moved to May 2021
August 13, 2020
Dear graduates,
As promised, the Commencement Committee came to a decision regarding the October commencement ceremony. Due to the current trends in positive cases, the variability of the hotspots, building capacity restrictions, and the social distancing and face-covering orders, we as a committee have decided to postpone the October ceremony until May 2021. We are fully committed to celebrating your success and honoring you with your own ceremony. Your ceremony will be separate from the already scheduled May 2021 ceremony. Additional details will be sent out during the Fall semester. Please continue to monitor your email.
Thank you,
Jenny
Jennifer Flora, DEL, MBA, MA
Wellness Center Director
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Update on October 2020 Commencement Ceremonies
July 15, 2020
Dear fellow graduates, family members, and others,
We would first like to congratulate the Class of 2020 and all the graduates from this school year. When we first began working as a committee, we could have never imagined what a wild ride this would be. However, we have been working arduously since day-1 so that all of your accomplishments don’t go without a proper celebration. To that end, and to ensure full honesty and transparency, on behalf of the Commencement Committee we want to share with you the following important information:
Currently, West Virginia has the following guidelines in place:
- A 40% capacity limit to the building as dictated by fire code
- Social distancing of at least 6 ft
- Health screening for staff and guests which include a health assessment and a temperature check
- Face coverings are required to be worn at all times and to the greatest extent possible
As of right now, we do not know if these requirements will remain in place for our October Commencement or not. In fact, there might be more requirements or limitations which could greatly impact the date of the ceremony. Additionally, the Governor of West Virginia strongly recommends those who live in Covid-19 hotspots, traveled to known hotspots, or who have been exposed to someone from a hotspot to quarantine for 14 days. We are well aware that this recommendation may prevent families and even students from attending the ceremony. Moreover, if Jefferson County becomes a hotspot once again in October, we would not be able to hold the ceremony.
While we cannot say for certain that the October ceremony will occur, we will do good on our promise that regardless of what may arise, we got your back! And so, we will not be making any hasty decisions that may endanger any of our students, faculty and staff, or attendees.
What this means is that the commencement committee is planning to continue to work through logistics on how we can safely follow through on holding an October Commencement. To make sure you have enough time to make travel plans and invite your guests, we will make a definitive decision by August 15. In case we cannot hold the ceremony in October, we are exploring the possibility of having two ceremonies in May 2021.
On behalf of the Commencement Committee, thank you wholeheartedly for your understanding and patience. Your celebration will be one to be remembered! – Stay tuned for more information on August 15.
Henry S. Navarrete Méndez B.A. and B.S.
Class President ‘20
He/His/Him
Jackson A. Hepner
College of Business Graduate Assistant