Muskegon Community College will hold a weeklong virtual Commencement on June 22-26 to honor its Class of 2020 graduates, MCC President Dale K. Nesbary announced in an email to the campus community today.
“The daily video tributes will feature popular elements of the traditional MCC Commencement ceremony, which was scheduled this year for May 6 before being postponed by the statewide ‘stay at home’ orders,” wrote Nesbary. “Like you, we were disheartened by the unfortunate but necessary turn of events. Immediately, we began exploring our options, both in-person and virtual, for an alternative ceremony.”
“When holding an in-person event this year became an impossibility, we chose to extend our virtual Commencement into a five-day gala honoring our graduates. They deserve it. Their resilience during the final weeks of the Winter 2020 semester demonstrates a tenacity that will serve them well throughout their careers.”
The MCC Commencement Committee, which annually plans the graduation ceremony, is organizing this year’s virtual events. The Committee will be reaching out to students, faculty and alumni to add their voices in honoring the MCC graduates.
“We cannot fill the arena with our standing ovations this year, but we can fill the hearts of the Class of 2020 with our sincere messages of support and congratulations,” noted Nesbary, adding that more information will be forthcoming, including inviting this year’s graduates to “walk the stage” as part of the 2021 Commencement.
“Muskegon Community College’s Commencement will be unlike any other in the College’s history,” he concluded. “The same can be said about the Class of 2020.”