SUNY New Paltz, Vassar cancel commencements
Commencement exercises scheduled for this coming May at SUNY New Paltz and Vassar College have been canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
SUNY New Paltz President Donald P. Christian said in an email to students, faculty and staff that the cancellation “is one of the most painful decisions I have made during my years” as the college’s leader.
“Commencement is a special day for graduates, parents and other family members, and close friends,” Christian wrote. “It is a day to acknowledge the accomplishments of our graduates, the fruits of their years of hard work, and to launch our latest graduates in the next phase of [their] lives.”
Christian said SUNY New Paltz is working to reschedule the ceremonies that were scheduled for May 15-17 but that no new dates have been chosen.
He said diplomas that would have been handed out in May will be mailed instead.
“The college traditionally welcomes thousands of visitors to campus over the course of our threeday commencement celebration,” Christian wrote. “In light of current federal, state and local guidance related to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the consensus of science and medical experts, we must accept the reality that we would be unable to guarantee the safety of our students, faculty, staff and guests at such gatherings this May.”
All SUNY schools already have switched from in-person to online-only instruction for the rest of the spring semester due to the virus outbreak.
Vassar College President Elizabeth Bradley, in a posting on the website of the Poughkeepsie institution, said: “After much reflection and consideration, I regret to let you know that we must cancel this year’s traditional commencement ceremony and graduation weekend. The degrees will be conferred, but we must delay the inperson ceremony and celebration, and we will plan for some type of commemoration at a later date — perhaps in 2021.”
Vassar’s commencement was scheduled for May 23.
“This has been a profoundly difficult decision to make,” Bradley said. “The collision of two significant, life-changing events — your college graduation and a global pandemic — have thrown these last months of the academic year into turmoil and disappointment.”
Bradley also said that Vassar, like the SUNY schools, will keep onlineonly instruction in place for the rest of the spring semester.
“We had hoped to resume in-person classes after several weeks of distance learning. However, it is now apparent that no more inperson classes will be possible this semester,” she said. “We have made the decision to continue our educational mission via distance teaching through the end of the semester.”
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