Graduates:
This year is teaching us resilience and flexibility as we navigate the ever-changing realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past several weeks we have been watching the impact of the resurgence of virus infection rates in Indiana and surrounding states. Indiana Governor Holcomb has paused Indiana’s re-opening plans. These factors have had a direct impact on our plans to hold August face-to-face graduation ceremonies on the IWU-Marion Campus.
Given the impact of these and other factors within the last month we have made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel our plans for face-to-face commencement ceremonies on August 22. In addition, we are cancelling all on-campus ancillary activities normally associated with graduation celebrations (receptions, pinnings, recitals, etc.)
Here is the rationale for this decision.
- Our top two priorities are, (1) the safety of our graduates and employees, and (2) not adversely impacting our family and friends, and the communities in which we live.
- With the resurgence of the virus in Indiana and surrounding states and the pause in the reopening of Indiana, bringing an influx of 6000 people to our campus during this time is too great a risk based on current data.
- Grant County public school systems will also just have started their school year in early August. This will place added pressure on local health reporting, tracking, and treatment infrastructures.
- Further, the Governor has paused plans for the reopening of Indiana. IWU is required to gain approval of the local and state health authorities for any gathering of over 250 people, especially when visitors are coming from outside the local area. It is not clear that we could gain approval for our graduation plans even if we wished to continue with them.
The completion of a university degree is a life-changing achievement. We can’t celebrate in person together this August but we believe it is important to celebrate your achievement of this milestone.
To that end we will be planning smaller, more intimate virtual graduation celebration to take place between now and December. There will be no face-to-face ceremonies in 2020. Please look for further information from us shortly about your virtual graduation celebration.
All of us here at IWU deeply regret this change in plans. When we planned for an August commencement, we had anticipated that circumstances would be different. Nevertheless, we will always celebrate the class of 2020 not just because you are our Centennial Graduating Class, but because you are resilient overcomers!
Sincerely,
David Wright, PH.D.
President