Southern Maine Community College will celebrate its 2021 graduates with a virtual graduation ceremony to mark their success as they move forward to bright futures.
Given the continued higher numbers of COVID-19 cases in Maine and CDC guidelines around gatherings, the College has decided that it would be unsafe to hold a traditional in-person commencement this spring. The ceremony will be produced in advance and is tentatively scheduled to be shown on Sunday, May 16. It will be made available on the SMCC public website and will continue to be available after initially airing on SMCC’s YouTube Channel.
“These are unprecedented times for SMCC, and we know that commencement is a special occasion for students, faculty and the College as we celebrate our graduates and their stories of achievement, ambition and success,” said SMCC President Joe Cassidy. “While we can’t bring people together in-person, we will produce a ceremony that is memorable and personal for our graduates.”
SMCC has formed a virtual commencement committee that includes faculty members in the Communications and New Media Studies Department who will produce a video ceremony. The College will send caps and gowns to graduates this spring with diploma sleeves, and will be asking that students provide pictures to be included in the commencement program.