Texas A&M University-San Antonio has invited Hollywood actor and director Tony Plana to speak at a virtual commencement ceremony, and the university will live-stream in-person ceremonies so loved ones who cannot attend the limited-capacity events can watch graduates cross the stage.
The virtual ceremony is at 5 p.m. May 14 on Facebook for spring and summer graduates. There will also be in-person ceremonies between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on May 15 and May 16 in the auditorium.
Students who want to have graduation photos and quotes posted on their graduation slideshow for the online ceremony have until April 27 to submit their slides to the Marching Order website. Students can check their JagWire emails to register to submit.
Students planning to do the in-person ceremony need to submit graduation applications before the graduation date, said Abigail Montañez-Rodríguez, manager of event service in the Office of the President.
Virtual graduation, which showcases each graduate in an online slideshow, is an option for students who feel more comfortable staying socially distanced.
Montañez-Rodríguez said the in-person ceremony will also be socially distanced, and they will be enforcing a limit of five guests per graduate.
“Something we are doing differently this year because we do understand there are families of more than five we will be streaming the in-person graduation from the auditorium,” Montañez-Rodríguez said. “It will be the graduate’s responsibility to communicate to their loved ones or support system the time they signed up for and to tune in on Facebook or our TAMUSA website the whole graduation celebration that weekend, so they can actually see them cross the stage.”
For those with families unable to attend the in-person graduation they will be given two streaming options, so they can watch their graduate cross the stage live.
“We do have another website called Marching Order, which is where the last two virtual commencements have been released,” Montañez-Rodríguez said. “We do plan to still release them on there, we wanted to add the component of putting it on Facebook, in case people wanted to share it to their profiles as well.”
With the virtual commencement, students will be able to upload a picture of themselves and a special quote or statement of their choice.
Montañez-Rodríguez said the virtual event will include their name, degree and any awards the graduate wants to mention. Graduates also can include a thank-you to supporters and a favorite quote
The campus plans on having a few speakers for the virtual commencement including President Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson, provost, the school deans and Plana.
Yesterday, Plana confirmed to be the keynote speaker for the virtual commencement, Matson said in a phone interview on April 23. He played Ignacio Suarez, Betty Suarez’s father, in “Ugly Betty.”
Now that COVID-19 has started to calm down, students and faculty will be able to start in-person classes again in the fall including a normal graduation ceremony possibly.
“It feels really good to know we’re going to go back to normal, but also nerve-wracking because we know things are going to pick up again and we’re going to be super busy,” Montañez-Rodríguez said. “The fact we may be looking at some normalcy in the fall brings hope, and it’s exciting. I think we missed that connection and getting together.”
For more information, visit www.tamusa.edu/graduationservices
Veronica Valdes contributed to this story.
