SUNY Cortland plans 3-part approach to Commencement

05/05/2020 

SUNY Cortland, which last month announced that Commencement 2020 ceremonies would not be held on campus this spring due to the COVID-19 epidemic, will take a three-pronged approach to recognizing and celebrating the success of this year’s graduates.

The university will hold a virtual graduation celebration this spring, send a formal, commemorative Commencement packet this fall, and hold a separate Commencement ceremony on campus in 2021 for members of the Class of 2020 who are willing and able to return to Cortland.

“Sadly, there is no perfect solution,” President Erik J. Bitterbaum said. “But we hope this approach will accommodate the varying needs of our future alumni, demonstrate our pride in their achievement and allow them to celebrate their success with friends and family.”

The plan features:  

Virtual Class of 2020 celebration

On May 16, the original weekend of this year’s Commencement ceremonies, Bitterbaum will give a commencement message that will be posted for graduating students on SUNY Cortland’s Commencement page. Other video messages will follow in the days after that. From Tuesday, May 26, to Friday, May 29, SUNY Cortland will host an online recognition event with video presentations, interactive celebration activities for graduates and families and a listing of this year’s applicants for degrees. Details will be made available soon. 

SUNY Cortland Class of 2020 commemorative mailing

All confirmed graduates will receive a packet in the mail this fall that includes their diploma cover (if purchased), a Class of 2020 celebration booklet, honors tassels for qualifying undergraduates and more.

Participation in spring 2021 on-campus Commencement

Class of 2020 graduates who would like to return to campus for a traditional commencement ceremony can participate in a rescheduled ceremony that will be held in spring 2021. The specific date, time and place of their commencement next year will depend upon the number of graduates and families who indicate they plan to participate. A survey will be sent to all members of the Class of 2020 at the end of this month to assess interest in the 2021 on-campus ceremony.

Given the uncertain course of the outbreak in New York state and the possibility of a possible resurgence of the disease in the fall, the administration felt that postponing Commencement 2020 for a year was the most realistic, and safest, option.

Because the administration realizes that not all new graduates will be willing or able to return in the spring of 2021, it is creating a series of online celebrations and urging all bachelor’s and master’s degree candidates to take advantage of it.

“We know that nothing we do will replace the traditional commencement ceremony that our students have worked so hard to celebrate,” Bitterbaum said. “But these are not traditional times. So much of what we have all experienced during the pandemic has forced us to adjust, modify our expectations and find creative ways to move forward. In that, the Class of 2020 is unlike any graduating class in the university’s history, and we fully expect they will go on to become a powerful and positive force in the world.”