Message on Commencement, Ceremonies

March 25, 2020

Dear students – Please see the message below from college President Joe Keegan on commencement, pinnings and other end-of-year ceremonies. Don’t hesitate to respond with any questions.

Best,

Chris

 

Greetings to you all,

I hope this finds you and yours doing well and settling in as best can be. We miss you and look forward to the day when we can be together again.

This week, we are readying ourselves for the switch to fully online instruction, which starts next Monday, March 30th. We want you to be as prepared for the transition as possible. In the event that you have questions or concerns about your technological and online readiness, please reach out to our staff at helpdesk@nccc.edu.

I wanted to take a moment to update you on some changes for our end-of-the-year celebrations. It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that, given the current guidance on social distancing and restrictions on large gatherings or events with fifty (50) or more participants at any location per Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order 202.3, we have decided to transition our in-person end-of-the-year ceremonies (graduation/commencement, nursing pinning ceremonies, and awards ceremonies) to remote ceremonies this year and find alternative ways to celebrate our students’ achievement(s). Please note, that this does not affect one’s ability to graduate, only the public ceremony celebrating it. Those who have applied for and completed all the requirements for graduation will still receive their diploma.

We know that this will be disappointing for our students and their families, our faculty and staff, and our administration. However, it is the best course of action to protect the safety and health of our campus community. On a more positive note, we are excited about finding alternative ways to celebrate our students’ achievement from a distance. Out of every crisis comes many opportunities and together we can make this a most memorable experience. More details on these remote celebrations will be announced in the coming weeks.

As this is uncharted territory for us all, I hope that you will understand. As always, if you have any questions, concerns or ideas for how best to celebrate remotely, please let me know. 

Thank you. Take good care and see you next Monday!

 

Joe