East Georgia Won’t Have In-Person Graduation in December

East Georgia State College recently announced that it will hold a virtual graduation ceremony in December instead of an in-person one.

The college released the following statement:

After much consideration and out of respect for everyone’s health, East Georgia State College is planning to hold its Fall 2020 commencement ceremony virtually. EGSC is currently planning the graduation ceremony that is set to be held December 12.

EGSC celebrates the wonderful accomplishments of the graduates and wants to share this special occasion with everyone. The traditional graduation ceremony would be held in the gym on the EGSC Swainsboro campus, but with social distancing rules and restrictions, the event is better suited to be held virtually this semester. The decision to have a virtual celebration will honor the graduates and their hard work, while also keeping families and friends safe and healthy.

“The leaders of the college have carefully balanced the importance of the health and safety of our Bobcat family and the importance of recognizing and celebrating the accomplishments of our amazing graduates,” said Dr. Bob Boehmer, President of EGSC.  “Although graduation is one of the favorite and most rewarding days of the year for faculty and staff and a singularly important day in the life of any graduate, we have concluded that health and safety must be given the highest priority at this challenging time. The virtual ceremony held in spring of this year was outstanding and the virtual ceremony now being planned for December will be even better. We look forward to the day when the spring 2020, summer 2020, and fall 2020 graduates can join with new graduates for a truly special, in-person graduation celebration. We appreciate everyone’s understanding of this most difficult decision. For EGSC, it is simply the right thing to do now.”

Earlier this year in the Spring, EGSC held their first highly successful virtual graduation ceremony. Since that ceremony, the college has been planning to make the next ceremony even more special for graduates.

Students who are planning to graduate in December will receive information about the ceremony in their EGSC email. One improvement to the ceremony this semester will include photo opportunities for the graduates. The graduates will be able to sign up to have their photo taken in an EGSC cap and gown to be included in the virtual celebration.

More information about the ceremony, the speakers, and how to stream the event will be released at a later date.