Coastal Carolina will hold in-person graduation ceremonies for new and recent graduates
Coastal Carolina University is planning to hold two in-person commencement ceremonies in December, one for students graduating this fall and one for students who graduated in virtual ceremonies during the 2020 spring and summer semesters.
Both ceremonies will be held outside at Brooks Stadium and will have limited capacity, with seating pods arranged to ensure physical distancing. All attendees will be required to wear masks to protect against COVID-19, and the university’s Clear Bag Policy will be enforced. More information about the ceremonies can be found at www.coastal.edu/commencement.
For students graduating this fall, the in-person commencement ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11. Graduates of all five colleges will be honored. A rain date is at 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13 inside Brooks Stadium. The university will also be premiering a virtual ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18, which will recognize all Fall 2020 graduates.
Spring and summer graduates, who participated in virtual commencement ceremonies due to COVID-19 concerns, are invited back to campus to attend an in-person ceremony at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. The rain date is 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14 inside Brooks Stadium.
“Graduating from college is a momentous occasion, and Coastal Carolina University is thrilled to be planning for the return of in-person commencement ceremonies,” CCU President David A. DeCenzo said in a news release.
CCU received approval from the South Carolina Department of Commerce to host the commencement ceremonies. The approval is in accordance with S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster’s executive order that outlines a procedure for exceptions to gathering restrictions.
Brooks Stadium’s revised capacity, based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AccelerateSC, NCAA, and Sun Belt Conference guidelines, cannot exceed a total of 5,000 attendees, which include graduates, family members, faculty and staff, platform party, volunteers, and vendors. The school has the same capacity for its football games.
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 12:22 PM.
