After consultation with local and state health officials, Georgia Southern University is planning to hold in-person graduation ceremonies at the end of the fall 2020 semester.
Georgia Southern cancelled its spring 2020 in-person graduation ceremonies due to the COVID-19 pandemic and held online ceremonies for graduates in May.
In order to implement social distancing guidelines for the safety of everyone in attendance at the upcoming December graduation, Georgia Southern will host multiple ceremonies. Additionally, since COVID-19 has caused the rescheduling of several football games this year, Paulson Stadium is no longer available on the first three weekends in December, which was when the fall 2020 commencement ceremonies were originally scheduled.
Georgia Southern is now planning five separate ceremonies, spaced out over three days:
· Sunday, Dec. 13, at 2 p.m. at the Savannah Convention Center for any undergraduate who wishes to attend (maximum expected number of guest tickets per candidate: four)
· Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 10 a.m. at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro for undergraduates from the College of Arts and Humanities, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (maximum expected number of guest tickets per candidate: eight)
· Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 3 p.m. at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro for undergraduates from the Waters College of Health Professions and the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing (maximum expected number of guest tickets per candidate: eight)
· Thursday, Dec. 17, at 10 a.m. at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro for undergraduates from the Parker College of Business, College of Education and College of Science and Mathematics (maximum expected number of guest tickets per candidate: eight)
· Thursday, Dec. 17, at 3 p.m. at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro for all graduate students from the Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies (maximum expected number of guest tickets per candidate: eight)
“We appreciate everyone’s understanding that COVID-19 has once again forced us to change our plans, but we believe the importance of honoring our graduates through in-person ceremonies outweighs the challenges brought on by the unexpected date change and other adjustments necessary during this pandemic,” said Scot Lingrell, vice president for enrollment management. “Each ceremony will again be streamed live for anyone who cannot attend the ceremonies in person. We look forward to recognizing the academic accomplishment of each graduate and celebrating with their families.”
Scheduling in-person ceremonies will also allow the university to host graduates from the spring and summer 2020 semesters. Spring 2020 ceremonies were moved to a virtual event in May in response to the pandemic.
All graduating students, including those who would have walked in the spring ceremony and would like to participate in December, are asked to contact the university. All students need to respond by Nov. 9 with the number of guest tickets they are requesting.
Attendance requirements
For those who do attend in person, several protocols will be in place to protect the safety of attendees, guests and staff. Requirements include:
- Appropriate face coverings to be worn by all in attendance.
- Social distancing between groups that are not in the same family.
- Reduced seating capacity to accommodate social distancing.
- Modified procedures for logistics such as distribution of diploma covers and photographs.
Reasonable accommodations may be made for those who are unable to wear a face covering for documented health reasons.
More detailed information is forthcoming and will be posted at https://www.georgiasouthern.edu/commencement/.