Southeastern Louisiana University graduation ceremony
If all goes to plan, graduates of Southeastern Louisiana University will be honored properly this December.
After switching graduation ceremonies to a virtual format last spring and summer amid the coronavirus pandemic, university officials recently announced plans for an in-person commencement to be held in Strawberry Stadium.
To limit crowd sizes, the commencement will be divided into four ceremonies over a two-day span at the end of the fall 2020 semester.
The new plan was made possible by Louisiana’s move into Phase Three of reopening, according to a statement, and officials intend to honor spring, summer, and fall graduates. According to Chief Enrollment Management Officer Kay Maurin, every graduate will be able to “cross the stage.”
“We are excited to announce plans for an in-person winter 2020 commencement,” Maurin said. “In order to maximize the safety of our graduates and their guests, the format has been updated to include multiple ceremonies at an outside venue.
“Every candidate will have the opportunity to cross the stage as a proud Southeastern graduate.”
The ceremonies will be held Dec. 8-9 and divided by college: The College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and the College of Business are scheduled for Dec. 8 followed by the College of Nursing and Health Sciences as well as the College of Education & College of Science and Technology on Dec. 9.
To keep guests safely accommodated according to capacity limitations, graduates are asked to limit invited guests to two individuals. Additionally, all in attendance will be required to wear masks and maintain social distance. Handicap seating will be available.
The possibility of having an in-person commencement is welcome news for the SLU family, which had to settle for virtual ceremonies to honor spring and summer 2020 graduates. Normally, Southeastern’s commencements are held in the University Center in Hammond, where all graduates are honored in a single ceremony that packs the building.
After the university closed its campus in mid-March, officials were later forced to cancel the commencement ceremony that May but remained hopeful they could honor spring graduates in a more traditional fashion in August.
Those plans were nixed, however, when Louisiana experienced a second surge in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalization over the summer, forcing Gov. John Bel Edwards to keep the state under Phase Two of opening for a total of three months.
With large gatherings banned at the time, Southeastern officials turned to online ceremonies, which recognized some 1,700 spring and summer graduates — including around 130 from Livingston Parish. The ceremonies included taped remarks from multiple speakers, including Robin Roberts, a Southeastern alumna and “Good Morning America” host.
With Louisiana’s move into Phase Three on Sept. 11, Southeastern officials are hoping to give their graduates a more traditional send-off.
“Our mission as a university focused on its students is to work diligently every day to help our students achieve success,” said Maurin. “Their success is our success, and we enjoy nothing more than celebrating and commemorating their achievements with them.”
Virtual options will still be available for those unable to attend, Maurin said. All ceremonies will be streamed at http://thesoutheasternchannel.com/programs/graduation/ and be broadcast on the Southeastern Channel via Charter Spectrum.
Afterwards, the Southeastern Channel will broadcast it several times, make it available for on-demand viewing, and place it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/SoutheasternChannel.
For more information, visit southeastern.edu/commencement.
Below is a scheduled for Southeastern’s commencement ceremonies:
Tuesday, Dec. 8
-- College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, 10 a.m.
-- College of Business, 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 9
-- College of Nursing and Health Sciences, 10 a.m.
-- College of Education & College of Science and Technology, 2 p.m.
