Springfield College Announces Plans for 2021 Commencement Ceremonies
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper announced the college’s plans for the 2021 commencement ceremonies the weekend of May 14-16. The festivities will begin on Friday, May 14 with a virtual opening celebration streamed live starting at 6:30 p.m. Following Friday’s opening celebration, the college will host eight separate in-person ceremonies, four on Saturday, May 15 and four on Sunday, May 16, at Stagg Field on the Springfield College main campus. All ceremonies will be streamed live on springfield.edu, including the in-person ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday.
“After such a challenging year, these celebrations are something to look forward to and a wonderful way to celebrate the accomplishments of our students,” Cooper said. “Student input in these decisions has been important and helpful, including responses to the survey and student-leader involvement on the commencement committee.”
On May 15, the School of Health Sciences will hold its graduate commencement at 8:30 a.m. and its undergraduate commencement at 11:30 a.m. Also on May 15, the School of Arts and Sciences will hold its graduate commencement at 3 p.m. and its undergraduate commencement at 5 p.m.
On May 16, the School of Physical Education, Performance and Sport Leadership will hold its graduate commencement at 8:30 a.m. and its undergraduate commencement at 11:30 a.m. Also on May 16, the School of Social Work and Behavioral Sciences will hold its graduate commencement at 3 p.m. and its undergraduate commencement at 6:30 p.m.
Each ceremony is expected to be approximately 60 to 75 minutes in length. Graduates who have completed a degree application will receive an e-mail with instructions for registering guests, and those tickets will be valid for the specified ceremony only. No tickets will be available during commencement weekend.
“With the exception of Friday’s virtual event, the ceremonies will be in-person gatherings, designed to comply with the restrictions in place by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, while retaining elements of commencement that are important to our students,” Cooper said. “Each graduate will be permitted to invite up to two guests to the in-person commencement ceremonies, something we know is important to our students and is made possible because of the commencement guidelines provided by the Commonwealth. The ceremonies will also be livestreamed on springfield.edu, but having some guests on campus is a positive step.”
In between ceremonies, the commencement and guest areas, including the chairs and stage, will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, and all graduates and guests will be required to wear face coverings at all times and adhere to social-distancing guidelines. All seating at Stagg Field will allow for appropriate six-foot social distancing between graduates and between guest groups.
In addition, the Springfield College main campus will be open to graduating students and their guests on May 15 and 16 to allow graduates to take photos with their friends and families at their favorite outdoor campus locations before or after their ceremony.
