WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Officials at Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) are planning three modified ceremonies for 2020 graduates at commencement Aug. 8.
Officials announced in March that they were postponing the scheduled May 16 graduation ceremony due to the outbreak of COVID-19. At that time, the ceremony was rescheduled to Aug. 8, they explained.
Although details are still being finalized, the Aug. 8 commencement will be divided into in three ceremonies to give the graduates the opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments while following local, state and national social distancing guidelines, officials said.
“When we had to cancel our commencement back in May, it just didn’t feel right to all of us, especially to our students,” said Interim Chancellor Dennis Lancaster. “Graduation is the conclusion of a lot of hard work by everyone, and a time to celebrate. We didn’t want to let all of that work go unnoticed and unrewarded, at least symbolically. So, we have tried our best to preserve the significant part of the ceremony for our students and to do it safely for them, their families, and our faculty and staff members.”
Graduates receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Missouri State University Outreach Program will gather at 8 a.m.
Those receiving Associate of Arts degrees from MSU-WP will graduate at 10 a.m.
Graduates receiving MSU-WP Associate of Applied Science and Associate of Science degrees will graduate at 12:30 p.m.
All ceremonies will take place in the West Plains Civic Center. Each ceremony will last 30 to 45 minutes. Facilities will be cleaned and disinfected between each event. Doors will open 30 minutes before each ceremony, officials said.
To make the environment as safe as possible, all graduates will wear a face covering and will be seated on the arena floor, safely distanced from other graduates. Face coverings will be provided.
Each graduate will receive six tickets for family and friends to attend the ceremony. A ticket will be required to attend, officials stressed.
Each group of six will be given a specific seating area in the arena bleachers to comply with social distancing guidelines.
Guests are asked to bring their own masks and encouraged to wear them while they are in the civic center. They must wear them when they enter and exit the building and anytime they are not in their designated seat, officials said. Disposable masks will be available at the entrance doors, if needed, they added.
All three ceremonies will be livestreamed. Those who cannot attend can view the ceremonies at wp.MissouriState.edu/Commencement.
“As we all know, the pandemic is constantly changing in regards to risk, so that’s why we are asking our graduates, their friends and families able to attend, and our faculty and staff to closely observe each and every one of the safety measures,” Lancaster said.
“On our end, we will assist as much as possible, including, as we approach the day of the event, assessing whether conditions in the area are too much of risk. If that’s the case, we will just have to cancel the event. But that’s not what we want to do; we want to celebrate this day with our graduates and, with everyone’s help, to do it safely for all involved,” he said.
Information about tickets and other commencement details will be mailed to graduates by July 27.
For more information about the commencement ceremonies, visit wp.MissouriState.edu/Commencement or contact the academic affairs office at 417-255-7272 or email WPAcademics@MissouriState.edu.
