ETSU Class of 2020 celebrating milestones virtually

Virtual commencement ceremonies planned for May 8-9

JOHNSON CITY (May 4, 2020) – East Tennessee State University will confer some 2,200 degrees, virtually, as Commencement Exercises will be streamed online and broadcast locally for the Class of 2020.

Graduates, their families and friends are invited to watch ETSU's Virtual Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 9. The ceremony will be streamed online beginning at 10 a.m. WJHL News Channel 11 will broadcast the ETSU Virtual Commencement Ceremony at 12 p.m. (earlier viewing time than previously announced)

How can I watch ETSU's Virtual Commencement Ceremony? Visit www.etsu.edu/classof2020. Video streams links for the ceremony will be available on the website at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 9. Viewers may also stream the ceremony and arrange a watch party on the ETSU Facebook page. 

Last month, ETSU President Brian Noland announced that the university would postpone in-person commencement celebrations and hold a virtual ceremony for the Class of 2020. Spring graduates will have the opportunity to participate in a dedicated in-person ceremony in December.   

“Many of our commencement traditions will remain intact for the virtual ceremony, but instead of focusing on ‘what could have been,’ we have channeled our energy into creating a unique and exciting experience," Dr. Noland said. “Despite the unprecedented circumstances we find ourselves in, our graduates, as well as our faculty and staff, never allowed the dream of earning a degree to be disrupted. The ETSU family will come together to celebrate these milestones virtually.”

For a more personalized virtual commencement experience, graduates will select and stream a specific ceremony for their college or academic program. More information about how to watch the ceremony is available at www.etsu.edu/classof2020. Video stream links will be available on the website at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 9. Viewers may also stream the ceremony and arrange a watch party on the  ETSU Facebook page. 

ETSU’s Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy and Quillen College of Medicine will hold separate virtual ceremonies on Friday, May 8.

Gatton College of Pharmacy will host a Virtual Hooding & Commencement Ceremony for its 68 graduates on May 8, at 11:30 a.m. on its Facebook page at facebook.com/ETSUPharmacy and the college’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/COPtechnology.

Quillen College of Medicine will hold a Virtual Hooding & Commencement Ceremony for its 68 graduates on May 8 at 2:30 p.m. A link to a livestream of the ceremony will be hosted on Quillen’s website at www.etsu.edu/com/graduation.php.