After much thought and careful consideration, Crandall’s Convocation Committee has announced that this year’s convocation ceremonies will be held virtually. Graduates and their family members can expect to be met with two virtual ceremonies: one for those who graduated the year prior whose ceremonies were unfortunately canceled due to the start of the global pandemic, and another for the graduates of the current academic year. 

The first ceremony for graduates of fall 2019 and spring 2020 will be held on Saturday, May 8th at 10:00 AM, while the second ceremony for graduates of fall 2020 and spring 2021 will be later that same day at 1:00 PM. In each of the two ceremonies, there will also be different speakers, one for each virtual event.  

While the virtual nature of this year’s celebrations does place some restrictions on the events as well as which convocation traditions are plausible to implement, the unconventional nature of the times has also lent itself to some creative new ideas. 

For one thing, graduates who submitted their applications prior to the deadline will receive a personalized graduation package, aptly named a “Grad Box”, full of graduation themed Crandall swag. These Grad Boxes can be expected to arrive in advance of convocation and will be a fun new COVID-friendly addition to the festivities.  

Another new addition that is important to note is that following each virtual ceremony, attendees will have the opportunity to join Microsoft Teams “breakout rooms” to socialize within their individual programs. These breakout rooms will provide students with an environment where they can chat with peers and professors from their specific disciplines and introduce their friends and family members if desired.  

The invites to these post-convocation virtual gatherings will be sent to students’ Crandall emails, and the events are planned to be around 30–45-minute periods where guests can come and go as they please. 

Though the uniqueness of the world’s situation means that this year’s convocation will look a little different, celebrating the achievements of the graduating students – even virtually – is an important milestone in university life. The staff and faculty are extremely proud of all of the grads and will be cheering them on, even if it is through a computer screen!  

For more information on the 2021 Convocation Ceremonies, please visit Convocation – Crandall University