Two Colorado Springs colleges this week will hold their first unrestricted, in-person spring commencement ceremonies since 2019, allowing graduates to celebrate a major life milestone in the traditional manner — walking across a stage and accepting their degree as family and friends cheer them on.
The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak Community College will hold their ceremonies at the Broadmoor World Arena on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
More than 1,200 UCCS graduates are planning to cross the stage during the school's two Friday ceremonies — a record number, according to school officials. PPCC plans to have 700 graduates at what could be its final ceremony under its current name; pending approval by the state legislature, the school will change its name to Pikes Peak State College this summer.
The COVID-19 pandemic upended graduation plans nationwide as schools scrambled to find a way to acknowledge their students’ accomplishments without compromising health and safety. UCCS held virtual ceremonies in 2020 and in the spring of 2021. In December, the college held an in-person event, but all attendees were required to wear face coverings, with graduates allowed to remove their masks only to have pictures taken.
PPCC held a completely virtual ceremony in 2020. The next year, organizers decided to try something creative.
“In 2021, we had a drive-in grad walk on one day and a virtual ceremony on another day,” said spokeswoman Karen Kovaly. “We had an enormous amount of logistics to work through.”
For the drive-up ceremony, each student was given a time slot during which they could drive up to a podium that was set up in the parking lot and accept their degree and congratulations from staff and faculty, all of whom wore masks. Family and friends could follow the graduate in up to two cars, forming a mini-procession.
Graduates who weren’t comfortable with the drive-in format could attend the virtual ceremony.
“So we had two ceremonies to plan,” Kovaly said. “This year, we are back to doing what we know, with far fewer unknowns.”
Both schools have given graduates from the past two years the option to walk the stage this weekend, officials said. Face coverings will be optional.
“We’re really excited to be able to hold the kind of ceremony we’re used to having, so these graduates can have the experience they deserve after all their hard work,” said UCCS representative Jenna Press.
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May 12, 2022 at 02:56AM
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UCCS, PPCC return to traditional commencement format - Colorado Springs Gazette
"traditional" - Google News
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