Byline: Iman Palm and Julia Terbeche
Long Beach State will be hosting an in-person commencement ceremony for the classes of 2020 and 2021 this May, the Commencement Office announced in an email.
“The Commencement Team is working with Angel Stadium of Anaheim to host this year’s commencement, May 28 [to] 31,” the email read. “We appreciate those that participated in last week’s poll to survey location preference. By a 6:1 margin, graduates in the classes of 2020 and 2021 asked that we pursue an in-person option for graduation ceremonies. Based on these results and under the new outdoor stadium live performance public health guidelines, we are planning a pivot from drive-through commencement ceremonies to in-person ceremonies.”
As the city of Long Beach has progressed into the red tier under the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, outdoor stadium live performances will be permitted starting April 1.
This decision comes after the university sent a survey on March 18 asking students part of the classes of 2020 and 2021 for their input on whether they would prefer to participate in a hybrid car caravan or in-person ceremony this May.
Graduates will be split up by college and class:
- College of Engineering — Friday, May 28, 9:30 a.m.
- College of Liberal Arts — Friday, May 28, 5 p.m.
- College of the Arts — Saturday, May 29, 9:30 a.m.
- College of Health & Human Services — Saturday, May 29, 5 p.m.
- College of Education — Sunday, May 30, 9:30 a.m.
- College of Business — Sunday, May 30, 5 p.m.
- College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics — Monday, May 31, 9:30 a.m.
In line with health directives, only guests with tickets will be permitted inside the stadium and must remain in their seats for the duration of the ceremony.
“As students will be throughout the 100 to 300 level seating, there will be no processional, recessional, or stage-walking for graduates inside the stadium,” the email said. “At this time, families will be able to view the graduate experience from the parking lot, should they not be allowed inside the stadium.”
Participating students should still complete their graduate slides and name recordings “as these will be key elements of the experience.” Recording of their name pronunciation closes on April 9, and graduate slides complete with a photo and quote are due by May 1.
The Angel Stadium ceremony will be livestreamed on the commencement website, and the Division of Student Affairs will be hosting virtual cultural graduation celebrations.
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