MACON, Ga. — Colleges and universities across the nation are canceling or rescheduling May graduation ceremonies in light of COVID-19.
On Tuesday, Mercer University’s president, WIlliam Underwood, announced that several of the school’s traditional May commencement ceremonies are rescheduled for August dates and the Mercer School of Medicine ceremony will be held virtually in May.
“While we are making progress as a state working through this pandemic, it does not appear likely that we will have made sufficient progress by early May for these large gatherings of graduates, family, friends, and teachers to be either wise or perhaps even legally permissible,” Underwood said in an email.
Underwood says the medical school has “no choice” but to conduct a virtual ceremony on May 2, the commencement’s original date, because many graduates are heading off to residency programs across the nation.
Although commencement ceremonies are delayed, Underwood says students will still earn their degrees in May.
“We celebrate not only your accomplishments, but also the cherished roles of members of your family, your friends, and your teachers,” Underwood said.
In the email, Underwood congratulated graduates on their accomplishments and stressed the importance of celebrating milestones.
“Commencement is an important confirmation of our value and heritage as a university,” he said.
The email says Mercer’s Office of the Provost will communicate details about graduation, regalia, and commencement ceremonies in the coming days.
Here are the new dates for commencement ceremonies:
- The commencement celebration for Mercer School of Law graduates will be held on Friday, Aug. 7, at 1 p.m. in Hawkins Arena on the Macon campus.
- For those graduating from programs in Macon other than law and medicine, the commencement celebration will be held on Saturday, August 8, in Hawkins Arena. The commencement time is still undetermined.
- The traditional baccalaureate service will be held on Friday, Aug. 7, at 6 p.m. in Willingham Auditorium on the Macon campus.
- For those graduating from programs in Atlanta, the commencement celebration will be held on Sunday, Aug. 9, at 3 p.m. in the Infinite Energy Center in Gwinnett County.
- The School of Medicine will conduct its commencement ceremony virtually on May 2.
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