New state guidelines will allow two guests per graduating student
I am thrilled to share additional information about plans to celebrate the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 with in-person commencement ceremonies on the Le Moyne College campus and virtual events. After a year that called upon us all to be resilient, innovative and compassionate, we are excited to celebrate these extraordinary classes. We thank our graduates for their grace and patience as we developed our plans.
The dates and times for our commencement ceremonies are:
2020 Undergraduate - Saturday, May 22: 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
2020 and 2021 Graduate - Thursday, May 27: 7 p.m.
2021 Undergraduate - Friday, May 28: 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
In addition, the following events have been scheduled:
Honors Convocation - Sunday, May 23: 10 a.m.
Baccalaureate Mass - Sunday, May 23: 6:30 p.m.
All events will take place in person on Le Moyne's campus, outside of the Thomas J. Niland Jr. Athletic Complex. In case of severe weather, events will be moved indoors.
As plans were developed for commencement, the College was committed to bringing students together to celebrate as a class. To do so, it is essential that we comply with all New York state health and safety guidelines regarding the size of public events. Recently these guidelines changed for large-scale in-person graduation events by permitting attendance up to 20% of outdoor venue capacity. Because we want families and friends to share the excitement with their graduating student, there will be multiple ceremonies for each graduating class. The new state guidelines mean that two guests per graduating student will be able to attend an outdoor in-person ceremony. If severe weather requires a ceremony to move indoors, guests will not be permitted to attend due to capacity restrictions. Details regarding testing and health screenings will be forthcoming.
In addition to in-person ceremonies, virtual commencement videos will be released on the mornings of May 22 and May 28 for the undergraduate classes of 2020 and 2021, respectively. All ceremonies, including the graduate ceremony on May 27, will be live-streamed on Le Moyne's YouTube channel. These virtual pieces will allow additional family, friends and loved ones to share in this special moment with their graduating student.
The College is committed to creating an engaging and student-centered commencement for our graduates and is thrilled to celebrate this momentous time in our students’ lives and look forward to providing them with a memorable commencement ceremony in May.
Sincerely,
Jim Hannan
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs