MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University’s Class of 2020 will graduate this weekend, but not during ceremonies on the Morgantown campus.
The 4,500 students will instead graduate from their computers, as the university promotes the first-ever online Mountaineer Graduation Day.
Festivities will begin on Saturday at 11 a.m. as students had to leave campus because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Maryanne Reed, the university’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, noted this year’s commencement activities are unlike anything WVU has done in the past.
“Our May 2020 graduates are living through the most unpredictable period of their lives, but the COVID-19 pandemic will not define them,” she said. “They have persevered through years of higher education and are embarking on a world different from when they started, and our graduates will use what they’ve learned to navigate the uncharted waters of the future.”
Graduates have been sharing memories of their time as students ahead of commencement day using social media and the hashtag #WVUgrad. The university’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages will engage with students and families during Saturday’s ceremony.
University president Gordon Gee is among the scheduled speakers for the 30-minute event. County music artist and West Virginia native Brad Paisley will receive a presidential honorary degree.
May graduates are invited to participate in the Dec. 19 commencement exercise to be held at the WVU Coliseum