FAIRBORN — Students graduating from Wright State in the spring of 2021 will be able to celebrate their commencement with in-person ceremonies. The Dayton Campus of Wright State will hold multiple ceremonies for the spring class in the WSU Nutter Center on Apr. 30 and May 1.
The commencement ceremony schedule for the Dayton Campus is as follows: Graduate School (master’s, Ph.D., and Ed.D. graduates) ceremonies will be Friday, April 30 at 7:00 p.m. The Raj Soin College of Business and College of Education and Human Services will have ceremonies Saturday, May 1 at 10:00 a.m. The College of Engineering and Computer Science and the College of Science and Mathematics will graduate students Saturday, May 1 at 2:00 p.m., and the College of Liberal Arts and College of Nursing and Health will graduate students Saturday, May 1 at 6:00 p.m.
President Sue Edwards announced the update in an email to campus Friday.
“Commencement is a special day for graduating students and their families. I cherish watching our graduates beam with pride as they receive their diplomas in front of their families and friends,” Edwards wrote. “After a long and challenging year, I am looking forward to celebrating the accomplishments of our graduating students together with many of you.”
“As a graduating senior this is something I have advocated for heavily this entire year and was one of my main campaign promises I tried to deliver on,” said Adrian Williams, president of the Student Government Association and a neuroscience major. “I am beyond thankful to the administration for listening to students and ensuring that we are given the opportunity to celebrate our accomplishments in as normal a way as possible.”
In line with campus health and safety mandates, masks and physical distancing will be implemented at all ceremonies. Each graduate will receive up to four free tickets for family members and guests, in line with state mandates on gatherings. Each ceremony will also be livestreamed.
The Lake Campus will also host multiple in-person ceremonies for its summer 2020, fall 2020, and spring 2021 graduates, with dates and times to be announced as soon as a venue is finalized, Edwards said.
Wright State is continuing to monitor the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio, and may update commencement information as the situation evolves.
“While it is our absolute intention to hold all commencement ceremonies s in-person we must remain open to last-minute alterations to our planning given the ever-changing nature of the COVID-19 situation,” Edwards wrote.
The fall 2020 and summer 2020 classes for the Dayton Campus celebrated commencement virtually in December, consistent with its normal graduation schedule.
The university does not yet know the exact number of students graduating in the spring, as not all qualified students have submitted graduation applications. However, the number of graduating students should be consistent with other spring commencements, a spokesman for the university said.
