Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) will celebrate over 4,000 graduates in two virtual commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 5.
“When the class of 2020 began their educational journey here at IWU, not a single one of us could have imagined how we would celebrate the completion of that journey,” Dr. David Wright, IWU president, said. “My admiration for this class runs deep. Their dedication, creativity and downright determination to succeed despite all the disruptions, mark them exceptional. I will always be proud of the class of 2020.”
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, students set to graduate in April were unable to meet in person for their graduation ceremony. Saturday’s virtual ceremonies are intended to celebrate these graduates in addition to December graduates.
The schedule for the commencement is as follows:
- 1 p.m. | All IWU-Marion degrees
- 4 p.m. | All IWU-National & Global degrees
Information regarding how to tune in for the events are available on IWU-Marion (@indwes) and IWU-National & Global’s (@IWUglobal) Facebook pages. During the event, students, family members and faculty are encouraged to join in the celebration by engaging with the chat feature.
The commencement speaker for IWU-Marion’s ceremony is Dr. Bud Bence, a church historian, professor, and first recipient of Indiana Wesleyan University World-Changing Faculty Award. At IWU-National & Global’s ceremony, Justice Christopher Goff, Indiana’s 110th Indiana Supreme Court Judge, will deliver the commencement address.
For those unable to tune in for the live event, a video recording will be available at IWUgraduates.com.
IWUgraduates.com will also feature each student’s name, degree, honors, and picture if provided by the student in advance. Video messages for 2020 graduates from IWU’s chancellors and the president are also housed on the site. For IWU-Marion graduates, each division chair recorded an address for their graduates and listed their names and honors.
“Since our desire to be with graduates and their loved ones on-campus to celebrate these achievements could not happen, we have worked diligently in preparing these ceremonies and going the extra mile to make this day as special as we can,” Kim Nicholson, IWU registrar, said. “There have been adjustments on everyone’s part this year and it is truly wonderful that we can share in this celebration together. No matter the venue, we have so much to be thankful for and so many students to be proud of.”
Wesley Seminary’s commencement will take place on Dec. 19. IWU’s next commencement ceremony is scheduled for May 1, 2021.