{"id":2337,"date":"2020-12-18T14:34:16","date_gmt":"2020-12-18T18:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/?p=2337"},"modified":"2021-09-22T14:38:41","modified_gmt":"2021-09-22T18:38:41","slug":"umes-holds-2nd-commencement-celebration-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/umes-holds-2nd-commencement-celebration-online\/","title":{"rendered":"UMES holds 2nd ‘commencement celebration’ online"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Seniors who persevered through pandemic disruptions get their moment in the spotlight<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Friday, December 18, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore bid farewell to its December Class of 2020 with a 36-minute commencement celebration video<\/strong><\/a> in lieu of a traditional ceremony typically held in front of thousands at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The global pandemic forced the university to start and end the fall 2020 semester earlier than normal — and subsequently prevented small-gathering graduation events that were scheduled for Nov. 20. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The accelerated spread of COVID-19 in November led elected and public health officials to issue directives that made UMES’ strategy to hold intimate, in-person commencements four weeks ago obsolete. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The university subsequently dusted off a plan it initially crafted in the spring, when in-person classes were replaced the final seven weeks with students dialing into lectures via digital platforms.  The UMES administration produced an online tribute in May featuring recorded remarks from President Heidi M. Anderson, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in addition to voluntary testimonial videos from seniors and a robust carousel of campus life photos set to music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The December commencement followed the same script that the university found itself scrambling to assemble in less time.\u00a0 It nonetheless reflected the joy associated with the rite of passage for some 230 graduates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cCongratulations to the class of 2020,\u201d Bryanna Turman<\/strong> of Clinton, Md. said into a cellphone-recorded video. \u201cWe did it, despite all that we’ve gone through.  We were able to make it and graduate.  I wish everybody the best of luck on their future endeavors.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ashley Nwamara<\/strong> of Hyattsville, wearing her cap and gown, smiled broadly into her camera-phone and declared: \u201cThe time is here.  It’s the end of an era.  Now on to the next chapter.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olawoyin Akintelure<\/strong> of Capitol Heights, Md. challenged classmates to \u201cLet’s go make UMES proud.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to remarks from Anderson and Hogan, a parade of faculty members offered heartfelt messages, including a handful who are also alumni. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business professor Dr. Bryant Mitchell, class of 1978, invited graduates to \u201cthink of yourself as a Hawk for Life.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Tiara Cornelius, an 2007 alumna and math professor, said \u201cI know from personal experience, once a Hawk, always a Hawk.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the most animated testimonial came from Billy Dillon, director of UMES’ PGA golf management program, which this cycle had one graduate — Young Lee<\/strong> of Mt. Airy, Md. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don’t think anyone has gotten as much out of their degree as you,\u201d Dillon said of Lee.  \u201cYou served the program very well.  You are the ‘total package,’ my man.  I want to thank you for the mentorship of the students coming behind you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seniors in the November-December graduating class endured mandatory COVID-19 testing, had no intercollegiate athletics and fewer social activities.  They finished the final semester of their undergraduate career following a \u201chybrid\u201d schedule that meant they sometimes attended classes in person, and other times participated online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When state and University System of Maryland leaders directed public colleges to take more aggressive safety steps to head off the spread of the virus, UMES invited degree candidates to visit during exam week and have their pictures taken in caps and gowns at favorite locales. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students embraced the offer along with submitting their own images that went into the celebration video.  If those pictured were saddened internally by the disruption, the photos revealed an outward exuberance of reaching a milestone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the closing of one chapter of your life and the beginning of another,\u201d said Dr. Marshall F. Stevenson Jr, dean of the School of Social Sciences, Education and The Arts.  \u201cYou are ready to make your mark on the world.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Jennifer Keane-Dawes, a professor of English and Modern Languages, said graduation is akin to the light at the end of a tunnel. \u201cWelcome to the light,\u201d she said. \u201cYou are standing in it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sentiment echoed by Dr. Richard Warren, a three-time UMES graduate and professor of education: \u201cWelcome to the family.\u201d<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seniors who persevered through pandemic disruptions get their moment in the spotlight Friday, December 18, 2020 The University of Maryland Eastern Shore bid farewell to its December Class of 2020 with a 36-minute commencement celebration video in lieu of a traditional ceremony typically held in front of thousands at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center.  The global…Read more UMES holds 2nd ‘commencement celebration’ online<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2338,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-2337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2337"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=2337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}