PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The University of Maine at Presque Isle and Northern Maine Community College are planning commencements that they hope students will enjoy, despite the ceremonies being held fully online due to COVID-19 restrictions.
This week UMPI announced it will hold a live-streamed commencement on its YouTube channel during the traditional time and date — 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 9. The virtual ceremony will keep the same basic structure as a traditional commencement, with some changes.
All graduation speakers, including President Ray Rice, alumni board president Tom Wire and honorary degree recipient Larry Shaw, president of MMG Insurance, are recording three-to-five-minute speeches that will air during the livestream. In addition, the commencement will feature pre-recorded messages from surprise “special guests.”
One-hundred sixty-eight students are receiving diplomas. Rice will record a 10- to 15-minute slideshow presentation in which he states each of their names, their programs of study and special honors. UMPI has sent students their caps, gowns and tassels free of charge and has given them the option to submit a photo of themselves in their caps and gowns or a more casual shot of them with family members or even with their pets.
UMPI business majors Jessica Cameron (left) and Elizabeth Butterfield share a laugh during UMPI’s commencement ceremony in May 2019. This year UMPI will host a virtual commencement on Saturday, May 9, due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. (Melissa Lizotte)
“We wanted to make sure all students will feel recognized as their name goes across the screen, especially given the circumstances,” Rice said.
After the livestream ends, all students will be able to join faculty members and fellow graduates from their respective programs for special Zoom video chats to celebrate their achievements.
UMPI is also giving 2020 graduates the option to participate in an in-person celebration during Homecoming in September and/or in the May 2021 commencement ceremonies.
Rice said that he and colleagues are planning the secondary celebrations so that graduates do not miss out on opportunities to celebrate in more traditional ways.
“Being handed their diploma embodies all of the effort and work that someone has put into earning a degree,” Rice said. “We realize that we can’t replicate a live commencement, which is why we want to give them a chance to celebrate in person when restrictions are lifted.”
At this time UMPI students and faculty are taking part in classes online and administration is working on safety measures to have students return to live classes this fall.
Rice noted that despite the quick and vast amount of changes that have occurred students and faculty have been supportive of the measures taken to prevent COVID-19 spread. Surveys conducted in recent weeks have shown that the majority of students are satisfied with the way the university has handled the transition.
During his commencement speech, Rice hopes to acknowledge the many sacrifices that students have made during the pandemic and praise their resilience.
“I want to convey that they are a particularly special group of graduates because of what they’ve been able to accomplish in this new learning environment,” Rice said. “It shows how important it will be for them to rise to challenges and use their leadership skills.”
At NMCC, faculty and staff are also preparing for a virtual commencement ceremony that will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 2. The livestream will take the form of pre-recorded speeches and a presentation of students’ names, photos and programs of study and will premiere on NMCC’s Facebook page and YouTube channel the same day and time as a traditional commencement.
The list of speakers includes NMCC President Tim Crowley, Maine Community College System President Dave Daigler and NMCC student of the year Marcel Chalou, a water treatment technology major from Easton.
NMCC dean of development and college relations Dottie Martin noted that the new graduation plans have been greatly influenced by student feedback.
“We conducted a student survey and 80 percent of our students said that they would like to see a video premiere rather than a livestream,” Martin said. “The pre-recorded messages will help us avoid any unexpected video and audio difficulties.”
The college has sent students their caps and gowns free of charge and have asked everyone to send photos of themselves wearing their regalia. In the video recordings, each faculty and staff member will give their speech in their caps and gowns in front of a decorated stage.
Though students will not be attending the traditionally scheduled commencement, all 190 of them have been invited to march in the 2021 ceremony.
“I think the biggest thing that will be different for us this year is the social aspect of the event,” Martin said. “It’s always nice to have the students’ families together with us to celebrate.”
But one silver lining is that students and families will have the commencement video as a souvenir to look back on their graduation day. NMCC will be sending all graduates thumbnail drives with video recordings of the ceremony after May 2.
Martin said that students, faculty and staff have been supportive of the college’s decisions to move in-person classes online and to limit the number of students finishing requirements for nursing, trade and technical programs on select campus sites. She hopes that students find many reasons to celebrate their success despite the challenges of this past semester.
“I think the message for this year’s commencement is resilience,” Martin said. “Even through all of this our students, faculty and staff have remained resilient and have not let these challenges stop them.”
