APSU to host four virtual commencement ceremonies Dec. 11
Austin Peay State University will host four virtual commencement ceremonies on Friday, Dec. 11, to honor the University鈥檚 fall graduates in a safe, online format. The ceremonies, which will be streamed at , are listed below:
- 9 a.m., College of Arts and Letters and College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
- 11 a.m., College of Behavioral and Health Sciences鈥 Health and Human Performance, Psychological Sciences and Counseling, and Nursing majors and graduates who are General Studies majors.
- 1 p.m., College of Business and College of Behavioral and Health Sciences鈥 Criminal Justice, Leadership and Organizational Administration, Political Science, Public Management, Sociology and Social Work majors.
- 3 p.m., Eriksson College of Education and APSU鈥檚 liberal arts associate degree graduates.
Each streaming ceremony will include remarks from APSU Interim President Dannelle Whiteside and a commencement address by Dr. Minoa Uffelman, recipient of Austin Peay鈥檚 2020 Distinguished Professor Award. All students who applied to graduate in December, and have not requested their records remain confidential, will have their names read aloud during their respective ceremonies.
In addition to the streaming video, the ceremonies will be aired live on CDE Lightband channel 9, Spectrum Cable channel 192, or AT&T Uverse channel 99 and can be heard on WAPX-FM radio, 91.9Mhz. Graduates and guests who wish to view the ceremonies at a later date or time can access them on the APSU-TV YouTube page and the University鈥檚 Facebook page.
After consulting with state health experts earlier this week, Austin Peay officials canceled the University鈥檚 in-person ceremonies because of an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases in the region and across the nation.
Had Austin Peay moved forward with the in-person ceremonies, more than 3,000 people would have passed through the Dunn Center within a 24-hour period, requiring about 60 APSU staff members to work each ceremony. State health officials warned against this type of large, prolonged gathering, particularly with only 8% of ICU beds available in the entire state.
鈥淚 know many of you were disappointed to learn we will not have in-person commencement ceremonies on Dec. 11-12,鈥 APSU Interim President Dannelle Whiteside said in a Thursday email to students. 鈥淚 also was saddened by this news because I wanted to help honor your significant achievements. We made this difficult decision after talking with local and state health experts, who painted a scary picture of how the pandemic is affecting our state and country. We also have a number of staff members in quarantine, which means we were unable to staff the event in a way that ensured we could carry out a safe ceremony.鈥
In January, the University鈥檚 commencement committee will explore whether Austin Peay can host an in-person ceremony for Fall 2020 graduates some time during the Spring 2021 semester. Several factors, such as the continuing of the pandemic into the spring, will influence that decision.
鈥淲e want to celebrate your hard work, and we鈥檒l continue looking for ways to honor your achievements,鈥 Whiteside said.
Updated information about commencement will be posted at .
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