FMU to hold in-person fall 2020 commencement ceremonies

Francis Marion University will hold five in-person commencement ceremonies on Friday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec. 12 for its fall 2020 graduating class. 

The ceremony will include 340 graduates, the largest fall class in FMU history. But FMU is dividing commencement into five parts to limit the number of graduates and guests in attendance, as a precaution during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The ceremonies will be held in the Smith University Center Gym and will be organized by FMU’s four academic schools and colleges. Social distancing guidelines will be observed throughout, and masks will be required at all times. Each grad will be limited to three guests, and no one will be allowed in the ceremony without a ticket. Faculty and other attendees will be kept to a minimum. 

The ceremonies will be condensed. FMU President Dr. Fred Carter will offer welcoming remarks, but there will be no formal commencement speaker. Additionally, the  five ceremonies are spaced at least three hours apart. Combined with the reduced ceremony time, that allows  FMU staff ample time to clean the facility between events.

The class includes the third-largest cohort of graduate students in FMU’s history. There are 110 graduate degrees slated to be conferred. 

The ceremonies are scheduled as follows:

• Friday, December 11 at 7:00 p.m. (College of Liberal Arts: Biology and Psychology)
• Saturday, December 12 at 9:00 a.m. (School of Business and School of Education)
• Saturday, December 12 at 12:00 p.m. (College of Liberal Arts: English, Fine Arts, General Studies, Mass Communication, Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Political Science and Sociology)
• Saturday, December 12 at 3:00 p.m. (School of Health Sciences Undergraduates)
• Saturday, December 12 at 6:00 p.m. (School of Health Sciences Graduate Students)