Pitt State gears up for spring commencement

Pittsburg State University’s spring graduates will be honored this coming weekend. 

“Graduation from college is a defining milestone in our students’ lives, and as the academic year comes to a close, it’s exciting to be able to officially recognize them for achieving that,” said President Steve Scott. “We’re very proud of the way our students, faculty, and staff have responded to the pandemic to ensure that the path to being able to hold Commencement remained clear.” 

In the past, Spring Commencement has been held in four ceremonies, with one for each of the university’s four colleges. This year, PSU will hold eight in two days to comply with COVID-19 mitigation strategies.  

The ceremonies are being held before finals week because of conflicts that impacted parking, hotel accommodations, campus police capacity, and livestream equipment and staffing. The spring semester will end May 7.

The ceremonies, to which each graduate may bring up to six guests, are scheduled as follows: 

Friday, April 30 

• 3:30 p.m. – College of Technology (Automotive Technology and School of Construction) 
• 5:00 p.m. – College of Technology (Engineering Technology, Graphics & Imaging Technologies, and Technology & Workforce Learning) 
• 6:30 p.m. – College of Arts & Sciences (Communication, English & Modern Languages and Literatures, Family & Consumer Sciences, and History, Philosophy, and Social Sciences) 
• 8:00 p.m. – College of Arts & Sciences (Art, Biology, Chemistry, General Studies, Integrated Studies, Math, Music, and Physics) 

Saturday, May 1 

• 9:00 a.m. College of Education (Health, Human Performance, & Recreation, Psychology & Counseling, and undergraduate candidates only for Teaching & Leadership) 
• 10:30 a.m. – College of Education (Teaching & Leadership graduate degree candidates)  
• 12:00 p.m. – College of Business (all undergraduate candidates) 
• 1:30 p.m. – College of Business (all graduate degree candidates) 

All ceremonies will start in the Robert W. Plaster Center and then proceed to the Garfield Weede Building. Graduates and their guests will remain together as a group throughout, except when the graduate crosses the stage. All ceremonies will be livestreamed individually at pittstate.tv. 

Friday, May 7 

PSU also will hold a pinning and graduation event in the afternoon on Friday, May 7, for graduates in the Irene Ransom Bradley School of Nursing, who must first complete their clinical requirements that require the full semester.