16 VIRTUAL GRADUATION DIPLOMAS AT A DISTANCE Social distancing regulations force spring 2020 graduation to go online. On Saturday, Aug. 15 at 11 a.m. CDT, Harding University spring and summer graduates gathered around television screens and computers to watch their 2020 graduation commencement. As COVID-19 forced the graduation ceremony online, Harding University took care to ensure the spring and summer graduates felt loved from a distance by being interactive through social media and highlighting the graduates. Additionally, the University posted many details of the virtual commencement ceremony, which encouraged the Harding community to support the graduates by watching the online event in August. “We wanted to do something very special for the graduating class of students because they were the first students to ever have a virtual graduation at Harding,” said Vice President for University Communications and Enrollment Jana Rucker. “We wanted to acknowledge that it was hard but also the appreciation with what they were able to do because they were also the first graduating class to have a virtual semester like that. We wanted to recognize their perseverance. We wanted to be intimate and intentional.” Over the summer, faculty and volunteers spent hours preparing graduation celebration packages in the McInteer Bible and World Missions Center building. Upon finishing these packages, Harding University mailed them to the 900 graduates in honor of their diligence towards finishing their degrees. “My favorite part was just how special they made it,” Kyle Raney, a spring 2020 graduate said. “Because they did go above and beyond, and they didn’t have to do as much as they did for us. We got a box in the mail that had a yearbook in it and graduation programs, some confetti and merchandise and a little alumni sticker and whatever else, so that was really sweet.” Along with care packages and mail delivered diplomas, Harding University engaged graduates through their social media accounts by encouraging the students to post with the caption #HUgrad20 and #BisonsTogether. This engagement helped students feel a sense of community despite being spread out across the world. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it,” said Dr. Marty Spears, Associate professor of mathematics and provost, about the virtual graduation ceremony. “So, we just tried things to make it meaningful because there’s nothing like being together.” story by Sophia Toth Alumna Kylie Jones poses for her graduation photo at Harding University on May 12, 2020. Jones was a member of women’s social club Delta Gamma Rho while attending Harding. | photo by Chantel Ceaser
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