Pictured above: “Congratulations to the class of 2020,” said USF system President Steven Currall, pictured in a video sent to students on April 7. “We’re so proud of you.” Courtesy of USF
By Katlynn Mullins
After the university announced on March 17 that traditional spring graduation ceremonies would be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, USF seniors now have a couple of options.
In an email on April 7, USF system President Steven Currall announced that spring graduates can elect to participate in August commencement ceremonies, or they can attend a virtual one next month.
As of now, summer commencement dates are tentatively planned for Thursday, August 6, through Sunday, August 9.
St. Petersburg’s commencement will be held on Aug. 9 at the Mahaffey Theater, 400 First St. S, said Carrie O’Brion, marketing and communications director at USF St. Petersburg. The time — and number of ceremonies — is not yet known.
Students can expect the final schedule to be announced soon, but it depends on “participation rates,” Currall said in the email. Any interested spring graduates will need to complete a survey.
Graduates can also attend a virtual commencement that will be “viewable during the weekend of commencement on Saturday, May 9,” according to the email.
The virtual commencement will feature “recognition of our outstanding graduate award winners and King O’Neal 4.0 GPA Scholars.” Each campus student body president will give a speech, and President Currall will hold the conferring of degrees.
Each graduate’s name will be listed on the screen.
The university is “exploring various ways for our graduates to interact with us from afar, via social media,” with the promise that additional information is coming soon, the email said.
Spring graduates can request a hard copy of the commencement program here, and it will be mailed in the “coming weeks.”
These plans, however, may not be set in stone.
“Our commencement plans are contingent upon guidance we receive from federal, state, and local government and public health officials,” the email said.
The email was accompanied by a video from Currall, in which he spoke about the accomplishments that graduates had made and the future ones they’re bound to make. He also emphasized the “extraordinary resilience” students showed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
He touted the university’s newly-adopted mantra, “We are #OneUSF.”
“Congratulations to the class of 2020,” he said. “We’re so proud of you.”
