President Nellis provides spring commencement update

Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis shared the following message with Ohio University on March 18, 2020.

Dear Ohio University Community:

As you know, Ohio University has been monitoring the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) daily to provide regular updates to our OHIO community. I am writing, today, to notify you of our decision to postpone our Spring 2020 Commencement ceremonies, planned for May 1-2 and graduation recognition activities on all regional campuses. When it is safe for our University community to come together again, we will immediately begin planning a postponed Commencement celebration and will notify our graduates and our entire community as plans are developed.

The decision to postpone was made in the best interest of our graduating students and our entire University community and in alignment with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that no gatherings with 50 people or more take place for the next eight weeks to slow the spread of this disease. This decision is supported by and reflects the input of Student Senate President Lydia Ramlo, Student Trustees Austin McClain and Justin Kelley, as well as thousands of students who provided their perspectives as I moved toward this announcement.

Commencement is a significant occasion for our graduating Bobcats and their families, and I know we all feel a great sense of disappointment that we will not be able to celebrate their success together on May 2. However, I greatly look forward to the day when we come back together again for what I expect will be an incredibly memorable and moving Commencement event as we celebrate not only your success at OHIO but also our collective journey through this unprecedented time.

In addition, we are actively exploring ways to continue to connect with you and celebrate you as we wrap up this semester, and we will share more details soon.

Thank you for your understanding and patience as we continue to evaluate and respond to this unprecedented situation. Please visit www.ohio.edu/coronavirus for updates and information about OHIO’s response to the coronavirus epidemic. Take care and stay safe, Bobcats.

Kind regards,

M. Duane Nellis,
President