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BOLIVAR, Mo. — May 2020 graduates of ±«Óătv will have the option
of walking in an on-campus commencement ceremony in December. All graduates still
are strongly encouraged to participate in the online ceremonies on Saturday, May 16.
“We are grateful for each of our graduates and know they immediately will impact the
world,” said ±«Óătv President Dr. Eric A. Turner. “We will give them their official send-off
on May 16 and welcome back all graduates who want to celebrate again in-person in December.
We have been planning all along to have an in-person celebration for May graduates
and now are being more specific about this event."
The December ceremony is in place of the previously planned in-person event specifically
for the May class of 2020 during Homecoming.
“As we began analyzing the logistics of a special event during Homecoming, it became
clear a December event would be a better option,” Dr. Turner said.
Three online commencement ceremonies — one for graduates receiving associate degrees,
one for bachelor degree recipients and one for graduate degree recipients — will be
broadcast online at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 16. All ceremonies will include several
elements of a traditional commencement ceremony in addition to personalized greetings
from each of the graduates. The bachelor degree ceremony will include the awarding
of the student Life Beautiful Awards and the Orien B. Hendrix Distinguished Teacher
Award.
“No matter what date we select for an in-person ceremony, we will have graduates who
would not be able to travel to Bolivar for a ceremony for a variety of reasons,” Dr.
Turner said. “They will be working in a new job or pursuing graduate school, or they
may not be able to afford travel expenses at that time to return to Bolivar. Through
the online ceremony on May 16, we will celebrate the fantastic accomplishments of every
single graduate, regardless of their ability to return to Bolivar at a future date.”
Graduates have until April 28 to submit their personalized information for the ceremony.
The Provost’s Office has distributed details to graduates’ ±«Óătv email addresses.
The December option is dependent upon the University’s ability to host a live commencement
ceremony based on the pandemic situation at that time.
For more information regarding the May online ceremony, contact the Office of the
Provost at provostoffice@±«Óătvniv.edu. More details about the December event will be released this fall.
*Published: 4-24-2020