Stevenson President Elliot Hirshman sent the following email to students, staff, and faculty members on March 26, 2020:
To Our Class of 2020 Graduates and Families,
We
are writing to follow up on our previous message regarding planning for
Commencement this year. Given the continuing increase in the number of
Coronavirus
cases in Maryland and public health guidance for limiting the spread of
new infections, we regret to tell you that we have to postpone our May
Commencement ceremonies.
We
understand the disruption that the COVID-19 outbreak has caused,
especially for our Class of 2020 graduates and their families, and we
are truly sorry for
this.
We
will celebrate your Commencement this year and are currently
considering dates later in the year when we hope to gather as a campus
community in order to recognize
our graduates’ achievements. We appreciate your patience and will be in
touch when we finalize the Class of 2020 Commencement plans.
We
wish to clarify that the postponement of the Commencement ceremony does
not, in any way, delay your formal graduation from Stevenson. Upon
completion of your
degree requirements this spring, your degree will be officially
conferred in May. Your Stevenson transcript will reflect this, as well
as any special awards and academic distinctions you have achieved.
Diplomas will be mailed to you in the usual manner in
mid-June.
Many
students and parents have questions about the availability of caps and
gowns. Herff Jones has notified us that its facility in Illinois is shut
down until
at least April 12 in response to public health measures. This means
that deliveries will be delayed for students who have already ordered,
as well as for those who intend to place their orders during the next
several weeks. The Stevenson Campus Store has posted
a link on its web page (http://store.stevenson.edu/suom/Home)
for students who prefer to place orders with Herff Jones. As
a backup, our Campus Store has also ordered a large supply of caps and
gowns from Herff Jones, but these
are also subject to the same delays. The Campus Store will notify
students when caps and gowns have been received for in-store purchases.
We
deeply regret these present uncertainties and challenges, but we do
look forward to joining together as one community to celebrate the
achievements of our graduates
and their families. As always, if you have any further questions please
relay them to us at
[email protected].
Sincerely,Elliot HirshmanPresident
Susan GormanExecutive Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost