How universities got graduates across the stage

Institutions decide on commencement ceremonies

Remember when the biggest worry of a commencement co-chair was pronouncing student names?

Oh, the days.

Spring commencement — what was once routine tradition, is now at the center of heated discussions.

For months, commencement committees across the country engaged in planning and re-planning, while monitoring the CDC guidelines.

None of us knew where we’d end up by May so we were once again saddled with our newest tradition in higher education — scenario planning.

I’ll leave the internal politics at the door for now so the light can dimly shine on what committee members grappled with during planning.

From my vantage point, there are three significant factors to account for.

These are:

• guidelines and protocols (CDC, state, or institutional),
• expectations and comfort level of your campus community (including parents), and
• timing.

Whether explicit or assumed, commencement committees weighed these factors as they felt mounting pressure to provide students and families with definitive plans.