WARWICK — In a letter directed to students and staff, Monday, March 23, Community College of Rhode Island President CCRI Meghan Hughes announced due to the COVID-19 crisis formal 2020 commencement exercises for the current term have been canceled. She also implemented the continued use of remote instruction for the remainder of the spring semester.
“Given the ongoing uncertainty of how this pandemic will continue to affect our lives, we have also made the difficult decision to cancel our commencement ceremony at the Dunkin' Donuts Center this May,” President Hughes wrote. “I love our graduation. I love watching our graduates, their families, and so many of us all coming together in one big space to celebrate. I love the spirit, the energy, the optimism, and the faith it gives me every year in what education creates.”
She continued, “To our students, commencement is a powerful symbol of your achievement, and I know how much walking across that stage to receive your diploma means to you and your family. It also means so much to the faculty and staff at the college to celebrate you. Although we won’t be coming together at the Dunk, the college will work hard to find a way to celebrate the Class of 2020 at a later date.”
As for remote instruction, which was originally slated to end on April 3, it will stay in place for the duration of the spring 2020 term on May 8.
“In the interest of the health and wellbeing of our community, we have made the difficult, but necessary, decision to continue with remote learning for the remainder of the semester,” President Hughes wrote. “This decision was not made lightly, and was grounded in our priority to protect the health and wellbeing of our students and employees, and by the guidance from our public health officials and government leaders.”