St. Cloud State University’s official Spring 2020 Commencement is being delayed until Aug. 14 due to COVID-19 social distancing efforts, but that’s not stopping celebrations from occurring virtually now.
This May, 1,690 students from 42 countries and 33 U.S. states are earning degrees from St. Cloud State. The degree earners include 41 associate degree students, 1,242 undergraduate students, 399 graduate students and 8 doctoral students.
Honors include 167 undergraduates earning Summa Cum Laude, 241 earning Magna Cum Laude and 234 earning Cum Laude cords.
President Robbyn Wacker announced plans for the official commencement ceremony live on Facebook May 8. The official ceremony will be held Aug. 14 in accordance with guidelines for gatherings from the Minnesota Department of Health. In addition, she announced that students will receive a graduation package in the mail to help them celebrate their graduation until the official ceremony. Students can register to participate in the Aug. 14 commencement ceremony on the University’s Commencement website.
Even though students and faculty cannot celebrate in person yet, many students are joining with their professors to celebrate graduations virtually in a series of virtual and distance recognitions this week occurring in homes and apartments across the state, nation and world.
School of Health and Human Services
The School of Health and Human Services is recognizing its class of graduate students with a virtual hooding ceremony live via Zoom on May 8. Dean Shonda Craft recognized the accomplishments of undergraduate students with a Facebook video message.
School of Public Affairs
The school recognized baccalaureate graduates with a listing of their names and majors on the school’s social media channels and the compilation of a video with each graduate’s name, photo, major and hometown listed. The Economics department faculty also put together a video of congratulations for their graduates. The School of Public Affairs is also holding individual graduate hooding ceremonies for each of its master’s programs:
- Master of Public Affairs arranged a meeting in Husky Plaza May 7 for graduates and had a socially-distanced presentation of hoods, tassels and photos.
- Criminal Justice graduate programs delivered a graduation package with hoods and tassels to students’ homes.
- Economics held a Zoom graduate hooding ceremony and mailed hoods and tassels to students.
- Geography graduate programs delivered a graduation package with hoods and tassels to students’ homes.
College of Liberal Arts
Undergrad CLA from UTVS Television on Vimeo.
Graduate CLA from UTVS Television on Vimeo.
The College of Liberal Arts is celebrating its graduates with a video message from Dean Mark Springer and faculty members as well as a video hooding celebration for graduate students. The school also created an image listing and recognizing all of its graduates and sent an email to them May 11 with information about other ways the college is celebrating their accomplishments.
Individual departments also will celebrate with individual virtual events.
- Mass Communications will hold a virtual hooding ceremony for Strategic Media Communications graduates that features congratulations from Program Director Dr. Roya Akhavan.
- Anthropology will hold a Zoom celebration for graduates and their close friends and family.
- Communication Studies faculty members created and shared a video congratulating graduates.
School of the Arts
School of the Arts listed and recognized all of its graduates by major on its social media channels with a message of best wishes.
- The music department recognized graduates virtually.
Herberger Business School
Herberger Business School released a congratulatory video May 8.
College of Science and Engineering
The College of Science and Engineering held a virtual celebration Friday, May 8 on AltSpace.
School of Education
The School of Education released a graduate slideshow May 8 congratulating graduates on Facebook.
Other departments
The Center for International Studies teamed up with Multicultural Student Services to recognize graduates among the students they serve with a Zoom graduation celebration May 6 featuring a welcome and congratulations from President and faculty speaker Dr. Brittany Williams. Seniors Jarron Williams, Kabao Yang and Prapti Niroula shared their St. Cloud State University reflections. Family members of the students joined the Zoom webinar from across the world.
University Athletics celebrated the accomplishments and contributions of its senior athletes during a special online Senior Send-Off and Awards Celebration on April 31.
