LIMA – Due to the current restrictions from the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Governor’s Office related to mass gatherings, the University of Northwestern Ohio has made the decision to cancel the 2020 Commencement ceremonies, the university’s 100th graduating class.
To make sure the university is honoring and recognizing all of this year’s graduates, UNOH has developed a digital media experience to celebrate the nearly 1,200 students who were scheduled to graduate this spring.
“Graduation is a significant time in a young person’s life; the whole world is at their fingertips. It is a memorable day for UNOH faculty, staff and families to see graduates walk across the stage and pick up their diploma after years of hard work,” UNOH President Jeffrey A. Jarvis said. “Nothing can replace that excitement, but we have a creative celebration planned for the Class of 2020 that utilizes digital and social platforms our students know and interact with often. This platform will allow us to create a memorable, and shareable, experience for our graduates.”
In the coming weeks, graduating students will receive emails and text messages, inviting them to participate in UNOH’s virtual commencement celebrations. This experience will include a message from Jarvis, specially-designed UNOH graduation filters to use on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, and information on how they can be included in the virtual graduation ceremony to be streamed in place of the in-person event in June.
The virtual experience is designed to create a memorable celebration for the graduating class while also providing an opportunity for faculty, staff, alumni and fellow students to offer their congratulations. The platform, hosted by Full Measure Education, will include celebratory content, videos from UNOH administration and social media filters that will allow graduates to virtually wear a graduation cap. When the student smiles, the tassel will move from one side of the cap to the other, along with confetti and balloons falling from the sky all the while “Pomp and Circumstance” music will play in the background.
UNOH graduates have earned the chance to be recognized for their accomplishments and this experience will give them something special to remember and share in the future. The 2020 virtual commencement is scheduled to be released June 14 and can be found at www.unoh.edu/graduation.
