Dear UMA Community,
I want to thank those who participated in the Commencement Idea Committee and everyone who took the time to send an email with your thoughts on how to celebrate our 2020 graduates in these unusual times. Most importantly, I extend my appreciation to the graduates who participated in the survey and let their voices be heard on how we might best acknowledge this significant achievement in their lives. (Full survey results are available on the Commencement webpage.)
Taking all of this into consideration, and knowing there is no perfect solution, we will make every effort to honor the 2020 graduates’ desire to celebrate as a community together with family and friends in a traditional manner by postponing the Commencement to October 3, 2020, provided a celebration at this time is in compliance with any CDC and state requirements.
However, we also want to pay tribute to our graduating students this May with some of the UMA traditions that accompany the end of the academic year by holding a virtual celebration that will allow graduates to share their stories, thanks, and inspirations for the future through video stories or selfies posted on a special webpage, uma.edu/2020grads. Graduating students should look for an invitation to participate in the coming weeks.
Details are still being worked out regarding these and other traditional celebratory events, and updates will be posted on the Commencement webpage in the near future.
In the meantime, I wish our students, faculty, and staff good health and a successful completion of the spring semester.
Sincerely,
Rebecca M. Wyke, Ed.D.
President