Dear Campus Community:
The Graduate Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 16, at 6 p.m., will now be held in the Athletic & Wellness Center on campus due to thunderstorms and lightning in the forecast at the time of the ceremony.
Each year, our goal is to hold Commencement events “rain or shine,” but the possibility of lightning poses a safety risk that calls for a proactive response.
This move allows us to provide our graduates and their families with the Commencement experience for which they have worked so hard, while ensuring that the safety of our campus community and our guests remains our top priority.
Graduates who are participating in the Friday Ceremony should now plan to line up in Elting Gymnasium. Lineup will begin at 5 p.m. Enter via the Elting Gymnasium entrance on the side of the building. Please look for an email to follow from the Commencement Office with more detailed instructions.
Stage party members will line up in the Elting Gymnasium conference room at 5:15 p.m.
Faculty and staff participants should meet in the curve in the west end of the Athletic & Wellness Center by 5:30 p.m.
Parking lots near the Athletic & Wellness Center will be available for participants and guests. This area of campus is accessible from both the South Entrance off Route 32 and the West Entrance off Route 208. Use this link for a map of campus.
We thank the many faculty and staff around campus whose planning, expertise and tireless effort this week make it possible for us to move forward with a safe and joyous ceremony for our graduates.
