University announces plans for commencement

  Wednesday, April 29, 2020 1:30 PM
  People and Society, Milestones, News

Pittsburg, KS

May graduates will be honored with a commencement ceremony on Dec. 12, Pittsburg State University announced today. 

Whether or not a graduate walks in December, their name will appear in the recording posted to the University’s Vimeo and YouTube channels after the event, and each graduate will receive copies of the traditional printed commencement program. 

May commencement ceremonies were canceled in March as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold and the future was uncertain. Since then, the commencement team has worked on a plan to honor those graduates and their accomplishments in other ways, including recognition on social media channels and website planned for coming weeks.  

But a survey found that a majority of students on track to graduate preferred a face-to-face ceremony dedicated to those who would have walked across the stage in May.   

“We fully recognize and appreciate that many of our graduates will depart Pittsburg for jobs and lives after Pittsburg State University, and that making their way back to campus in December could be challenging,” said PSU President Steve Scott. “We’ve done our best to choose a date that allows for the most flexibility and time to plan.”  

That date also takes into account the public health threat that remains related to large gatherings, which is expected to extend through the summer.   

A recording of the ceremony will be posted to the University’s Vimeo and YouTube channels.  

“Graduation from college is a defining milestone in one’s life, and our goal is to recognize our graduates in the most robust way possible in these unprecedented times,” Scott said.