On Friday, April 3, an email was sent out to KSC seniors announcing the official new date for the commencement ceremony for the class of 2020. The new commencement date is now Saturday, October 3, during Alumni Weekend.
Commencement coordinator Barbara Preston said that this decision was made via a Zoom meeting between the senior class Executive Board and the college Cabinet.
“There were a range of logistics that needed to be researched before the date could be confirmed. Besides Alumni Weekend, were there other events in Keene that weekend? Were the vendors available to serve us on that date? Were the Honorary Degree recipient and Granite State Award recipient available? Do we have enough staff to support two events on campus the same day? How would we work with a campus full of students and parking lots full of student cars? What other potential weekends might have fewer pressure points? The weekend before is the DeMar Marathon and the KSC campus is fully utilized. The weekend after is the Monadnock Pumpkin Festival, presenting traffic and security challenges. Earlier in September the weather can be too hot to be sitting on the quad for hours and much later in October it can be cool, blustery, rainy. The decision was fraught with complexities,” Preston said.
With all of these possibilities and questions in mind, October 3 was decided as the ideal date to hold the postponed commencement. According to Preston, Alumni Weekend occuring at the same time as the new commencement shouldn’t be of too much concern.
“Commencement is always a stressor for the City of Keene,” Preston said. “There are only so many routes into town, hotels rooms, restaurants and places to park. Given that the city businesses have been hit very hard by the physical distancing we must all do at this time, I am sure that they will welcome the business.”
As for the influx of people arriving to Keene that weekend, other businesses and essential personnel are aware of what to expect.
“Keene’s Mayor [George] Hansel is also a USNH Board Trustee so he is aware,” Preston said. “I and KSC Campus Safety work directly with the emergency responders in the area at least two months prior to the event to refine the response plan. Hoteliers are already aware, as parents have rescheduled their reservations to October.”
Preston said that the October 3 date is firm and will only be changed in the event that people cannot safely gather due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Should this be the case, commencement will be held the following May with the 2021 graduates. Students should be on the lookout for an RSVP to commencement this summer.
“Graduates will be required to RSVP their intentions to attend the October ceremony this summer. Their already submitted Commencement Survey responses will not be used to determine who will and who will not attend,” Preston said. “Graduates will move on with their lives between now and mid-summer and may have a better idea if they will be able to return to Keene in October. A separate RSVP will be sent to all graduates’ MyKSC email account in late July.”
The ceremony will not be exactly the same as it would have been if held in May, but adjustments to the ceremony have not yet been decided, according to Preston. The original commencement speakers, Jesse Green and Arnie Alpert, are still expected to be in attendance on the new date.
KSC President Melinda Treadwell said she is proud of the work put forth by those who worked on adjusting commencement and looks forward to the ceremony.
“We reached out to the students to get a sense of what the students wanted and then internally we had to look at the logistics,” Treadwell said. “I was very pleased with the team that had to put together, with our opposite ceremonies and events, what would be the logistical challenges associated with doing both Alumni Weekend and commencement and they came back with a plan so that we could do it. So long as we’re safe and can ensure safety from COVID-19, we are good to go. I’m excited and looking forward to it.”
Rachel Vitello can be contacted at
rvitello@kscequinox.com.
