Ceremonies are for both the Class of 2021 and 2020
Following widespread consultation with Academic Affairs, Student Development, the Registrar's Office and others on campus, Le Moyne College has made a decision on the dates for the commencement ceremonies, both for the Class of 2021 and the Class of 2020, whose ceremony was postponed due to the pandemic.
The dates are:
2020 undergraduate - Saturday, May 22
2020 and 2021 graduate - Thursday, May 27
2021 undergraduate - Friday, May 28
While the dates have been selected as early in the semester as possible so that students and their families can begin to plan, it's important to remember that the dates could be altered subject to COVID health and safety protocols in effect during that week in May. If the dates need to be changed due to new restrictions, the College will communicate any changes with as much advance notice as possible.
Many decisions about commencement are still pending, including:
- Location - The College is reviewing several options both on- and off-campus.
- Number of ceremonies and audience size - This will be impacted by the maximum number of people who are allowed in venues under state regulations. For example, if the size of the ceremony is capped at 150 people as it currently stands, several ceremonies would need to be held to allow all students to commence.
- Format - It is anticipated that the ceremonies will be a combination of in-person with a livestream of the event available.
While the College is hopeful at this time for an in-person ceremony, other options may be necessary, depending on regulations at that time. These could include having degree recipients in-person and family viewing virtually, and if regulations become stricter, a virtual-only ceremony.
A final decision on these and other details about commencement will be made around April 1.
"One of the most difficult decisions over the past 10 months was the postponement of the 2020 commencement ceremonies," said Le Moyne President Linda LeMura. "With that in mind, we are hopeful that we will be able hold ceremonies in May on the dates that were selected. While that is fully our intent at this time we know that, like so many other things, factors outside the College's control, such as county or state restrictions on the size of gatherings, could impact this decision."