By CSC COLLEGE RELATIONS
CHADRON – Chadron State College President Randy Rhine announced Thursday the 2020 Spring Undergraduate and Graduate Commencement Ceremonies have been canceled. The ceremonies were originally scheduled for May 9 but the college postponed the events in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While there won’t be a ceremony this summer, all Spring graduates are invited to join their fellow graduates at the 2020 Winter ceremonies, scheduled for Dec. 18. Rhine said that date won’t be altered, unless campus is closed to the public or health directives provide that guidance.
“December is the first opportunity for Chadron State College to recognize the Spring 2020 graduates, but it certainly isn’t the only opportunity,” Rhine 2020 said. “If those Spring 2020 graduates aren’t able to come back in December, we certainly understand. Therefore, I invite the graduates to attend and participate in any graduation ceremony they can make it to. Whenever those graduates attend, they are welcome to walk across the stage. They deserve to be recognized and the college can’t wait to do that.”
The college announced April 1 that the two commencement ceremonies were postponed to the summer, but after consulting with the Nebraska State College System Office, and receiving guidance from the Panhandle Public Health District and the Nebraska Governor’s Directed Health Measures, the President’s Cabinet made the decision to cancel summer commencement ceremonies out of an abundance of caution.