HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — While it may not be the usual pomp and circumstance, nearly 1,700 students at Northern Kentucky University will graduate virtually this weekend.
What You Need To Know
- NKU to host virtual commencement this weekend
- Nearly 1,700 grads included in the event
- Commencement scheduled for Dec. 12 at 11 a.m.
NKU announced its Virtual Commencement Celebration, scheduled for Dec. 12. at 11 a.m., which will wrap up the university's fall semester.
The celebration will still include traditions associated with in-person ceremonies, such as the official conferring of academic degrees and a student vocal ensemble's rendition of alma mater. President Ashish Vaidya will deliver remarks, along with faculty and peers.
“Nearly 1,700 students will reach their goal of a degree or certificate in a global pandemic, an unimaginable instance of triumph and achievement," said Vaidya. “While the entire NKU community is disappointed we cannot gather to celebrate in person, our graduates deserve their day, and this is an opportunity to show our pride in recognizing their hard work, dedication, and your many semesters of overcoming adversity.”
The celebration will also feature a guest speaker. Galadriel Stineman Joy, a 2007 NKU alumna and TV star you may know from NBC's "This Is Us," HBO's "True Blood," and ABC's "The Middle."
After Stineman graduated, she moved to California, where she works as an actress, writer, and acting instructor in Los Angeles.
“I’ve come a long way since I graduated, but none of this could’ve been possible without my time at NKU,” said Stineman Joy. “I had a genuinely supportive community, and I’m so thankful NKU was there for me. The relationships still come with me, and I use the core of my education with every project.”
The university will host individual ceremonies for each of its five colleges in addition to this weekend's celebration. Those celebrations will include congratulations from the college's dean and the reading of each graduate's name within the college.
In total, 1,679 graduates will be honored Saturday, including students who completed degrees in August, and those who completed degrees in December. The event will be streamed on the university's social media accounts.
More details and the live stream are also available on NKU's Commencement webpage.
Haeli Spears is a digital producer with Spectrum News 1 Kentucky. She is a University of Louisville graduate who started her career with Spectrum News in May, 2020.