Although we are all disappointed that we will not be together on campus, we look forward to celebrating all that the class of 2020 has accomplished and honoring the importance of the weekend of May 17.
Please take some time to review the opportunities to celebrate our students below. This is in no way intended to replace Commencement and the in-person ceremony, which will be rescheduled, but we hope that our virtual efforts will be a joyful and different type of celebration.
Dickinson College celebrated the class of 2020 with a video tribute broadcast via Facebook Premiere on Sunday, May 17. As requested by student members of the planning committee on behalf of their classmates, this was not a Commencement ceremony but a way to recognize and celebrate their accomplishments. We all look forward to being together for a postponed in-person Commencement ceremony at a later date.
Other ways we are Celebrating the Class of 2020
- Celebrating with Faculty: Academic departments are encouraged to host virtual gatherings using the technologies available to them. Departments will contact their students with those details.
- Congratulations Messages from the Dickinson Community: Students should keep an eye on their email and social media for congratulations message from faculty, staff and alumni.
- Senior Thank You Videos: Students are invited to create personalized videos of appreciation that will be sent on their behalf to those in the Dickinson community or others in their life who have supported them during their time at Dickinson.
- Senior Reflections: Students were invited to respond to a prompt reflecting on their Dickinson experience using a variety of mediums. Submissions may include painting, poetry, short story, drawing, photography, etc. The submissions will then be shared via social media and/or selected for use in the class yearbook.
- Alumni have also been asked to submit celebratory messages that will be sent out to our graduates, welcoming them into our vibrant alumni community.
Bookstore Discount
Get ready to show your Dickinson spirit by stocking up on college clothing, glassware, etc. Use the code DC20 when checking out from the college’s online bookstore between May 3-June 19 for a 20% discount on these items.
Diplomas & Celebration Packet
By the end of May, the college will be mailing diplomas to all seniors who have completed the requirements for their degree. Included with the diplomas are a few gifts to celebrate the class.
Caps and Gowns
At the end of April, seniors received the Life Beyond the Limestone Survey. By filling out the survey, seniors who have completed the requirements for their degree, will receive their cap and gown free of charge. They will be asked to indicate whether they want to receive their cap and gown in the mail (shipped from the vender by the end of May) or have them held on campus until the in-person ceremony. If students choose not to complete the survey, they will need to purchase their caps and gowns at the bookstore prior to the in-person ceremony. Other graduation items, such as departmental honor cords and study abroad patches, will be held on campus for distribution at the future in-person ceremony and mailed, following the ceremony, to anyone not able to attend.
Senior Portraits
In recognition of the challenges COVID-19 has presented to senior portraits, The Microcosm has worked out an agreement with our photographer, Spencer Studios, to allow members of the class of 2020 to submit their own photos. Only seniors who were unable to have a portrait taken by Spencer Studios will be able to submit a photo by another photographer. However, in order to convey a consistent aesthetic for The Microcosm, the following guidelines must be observed.
- Photos must be portrait style, preferably business casual.
- Portraits must be of the student and include no other people or animals.
- The senior must be the primary subject of the photo. For example, do not submit a photo where the landscape is the main subject and you happen to be in the photo.
- No hand gestures.
- Image should be high resolution of at least 630x800 pixels and .8 aspect ratio.
- Deadline for photo submission is June 1.
- You must own the copyright or have the photographer submit the copyright to cosm@dickinson.edu.
