Tag: Commencement

COVID-19

Delaware State University Students Required to be COVID Vaccinated By the Fall to Return for In-Person Instruction

To return for in-person learning, Delaware State University students will have to be vaccinated by the fall, The Philadelphia Tribune reported. Those unvaccinated can continue with hybrid learning. DSU wants all students, faculty and staff fully vaccinated by the fall. DSU will have multiple graduation ceremonies in May, including a ceremony for 2020 graduates. Safety […]

April 9, 2021

LGBTQ+

Virtual ‘Lavender Graduation’ for LGBTQ+ Graduates on May 23

Campus Pride and PFLAG, organizations dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer) people, will host a free, online “Lavender Graduation” — a ceremony honoring the achievements of LGBTQ+ students and ally graduates — on May 23. The national commencement will be livestreamed at 3 p.m. EDT and 12 p.m. PST at CampusPride.org/2020 […]

May 14, 2020

COVID-19

Princeton University Names First-Ever Black Valedictorian

Princeton University has named Montreal native Nicholas Johnson valedictorian for the Class of 2020. Johnson will be the university’s first-ever Black valedictorian, said the fourth-oldest U.S. college, which was chartered in 1746. Johnson is majoring in operations research and financial engineering. He will participate in a virtual commencement the university is holding on May 31. […]

May 11, 2020

Students

How Universities Plan to Hold Graduation Ceremonies Amid a Pandemic

Over the past few months, universities and colleges around the country have worked towards planning their graduation ceremonies amid a pandemic, attempting to find ways to keep some normalcy intact.Schools can choose to host commencement online, postpone until crowd restrictions are lifted within states or offer both options.

May 10, 2020

HBCUs

On May 16, the Obamas Will Host a Virtual Graduation Event for HBCUs’ Class of 2020

On May 16, former president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama will host a virtual graduation event for seniors of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), reported Business Insider. The virtual graduation is called ‘Show Me Your Walk, HBCU Edition.’ It is one of three similar commencement addresses the Obamas will participate in. Also […]

May 5, 2020

Students

HBCUs to Host National Virtual Commencement Ceremony

After having conversations with seniors, Dr. Michael J. Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College, recognized that many were upset about not being able to walk at graduation due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.Believing that students at other historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) shared a similar sentiment, Sorrell planned a virtual commencement ceremony to acknowledge the Class of 2020’s achievements.

May 4, 2020

Opinion

Dear Class of 2020, Five Messages to Frame Your Future (E-Commencement Speech)

The world we assumed would welcome graduates with open arms has changed in ways we could have never imagined or adequately prepared for.

April 21, 2020

Opinion

Tearing at my Heart: The First Year on Tenure Track

I reached for the tissue box and it was empty. The tears trickled down my face at a faster pace than usual. I rushed to the bathroom to replenish my tissue box. I slowly slipped into an uncontrollable sob. I felt like I was an infant again overwhelmed with emotions but left without the words to explain the depth of what I was feeling. Were these tears of joy, happiness, sadness, restlessness, exhaustion or hurt?

July 1, 2019

Opinion

Rethinking Commencement

“What we call the beginning is often the end; and to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” Twenty-five years ago this week, I used those words from T.S. Eliot’s “Little Gidding” to start my high school commencement speech.

June 2, 2019

Latest News

Billionaire Promises to Pay Off Student Debt for Morehouse Graduates

Billionaire investor Robert F. Smith has promised to pay off the student loan debt for this year’s graduating class of Morehouse College.

May 19, 2019

News Roundup

Garcia to Graduates: You have a Responsibility to the Next Generation

Mildred García, president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, told graduates at Ithaca College’s 124th Commencement ceremony that they have a profound responsibility to use the achievement of their degree to serve as a beacon of hope and opportunity for others. García delivered the main address to some 1,500 graduates at the […]

May 19, 2019

HBCUs

When Blackness is on Full Display

It’s graduation season for the nation’s colleges and universities, including the little more than 100 institutions that bear the federal designation as historically Black colleges and Universities (HBCUs).And we feel good. I mean, we are Black excellence and Black joy unparalleled—for ourselves, our institutions, and for our people.

May 12, 2019