SMITHFIELD – Bryant University will not hold its in-person 2020 commencement ceremony Aug. 29 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence and the ceremony has been pushed back to next year, Bryant President Ross Gittell said in a letter late Tuesday to the campus community.
The university had already postponed the commencement from this past May to next month due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, Gittell said Bryant decided to move the 2020 in-person commencement to May 23, 2021 after consulting with Gov. Gina M. Raimondo and the R.I. Department of Health and came to the conclusion that it is “not possible to safely host” the ceremony.
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“Over time it has become clear that a late summer or fall large event with thousands of graduates and guests would create a health risk,” Gittell said, “and state officials have confirmed that under the current Phase III requirements which are expected to remain in place it would not be allowed.”
Gittell also said family members of many 2020 graduates are from states that have a test-positivity rate of higher than 5%, and Rhode Island requires visitors from those states to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Bryant plans to announce more details on the commencement plans in the coming weeks, Gittell said.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
