Dear Colleagues:
As we begin the final week of the semester and the prelude to our Commencement celebrations, we feel an even more pronounced air of excitement across our campus. A year ago, the early stages of the pandemic postponed our end-of-year activities. One of the most challenging decisions among many was postponing what is to many the most significant event in their higher education journey.
However, as we look ahead to the next two weeks of celebrating our students and their achievements, I am excited to watch the final preparations being made to celebrate our 2020 and 2021 graduates during in-person Commencement ceremonies on our campus! We each have gained a greater appreciation for togetherness and those in-person events that mark special moments in one’s life.
As we anticipate the joy our ceremonies will bring for our graduates, their families and friends, I’d like to thank all those who worked tirelessly to reimagine and recreate every detail of these events to ensure they conform with our Healthy on the Hill guidelines. Developing and executing one Commencement ceremony requires enormous time and effort. This team is developing and executing three events spread over two weekends, and for that we are grateful. These celebrations will be remarkable because of their efforts.
Looking forward, the summer will not only be a busy time of planning for the year ahead, but also a time for us all to gradually transition back to normalcy. We fully anticipate and plan to resume normal operations on the Hill this fall, of course following guidance from public health officials. I encourage you to stay up-to-date with any changes as they occur to our Healthy on the Hill guidelines by visiting the website often.
Thank you for a terrific year, for working together to overcome challenges and for your dedication to our students and to our university. Your work makes a difference in the future of our students’ lives and in the future of WKU.
