Louisiana Tech cancels spring, summer graduations
Leader file photo
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (left) and Louisiana Tech University President Les Guice are pictured on stage during Tech’s 2017 spring commencement exercises. Tech has canceled 2020 spring and summer quarter graduations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Louisiana Tech University has canceled its spring and summer 2020 graduation ceremonies, after previously postponing the former to Aug. 15.
In a letter to students, faculty and staff, Tech President Les Guice said back in the spring, the university anticipated that gathering and celebrating would be deemed safe by late summer.
“Now that we are seeing the (novel coronavirus) continue to spread, and considering the new gathering restrictions, we have decided that we will not be able to hold Spring or Summer 2020 commencement exercises on the August dates as we had planned,” Guice said.
The announcement came less than a week after Gov. John Bel Edwards unveiled a statewide mask mandate, which also restricted social gatherings to 50 people.
“This decision was not made lightly, but we believe it is in the best interests of our graduates and their families and friends not to gather in such concentrated numbers,” Guice said.
Summer graduates will receive their graduation packages shortly after Aug. 20, when their degrees will be conferred. Spring graduates already received their diplomas and Tenet medallions in May.
Guice said summer graduates will likely be allowed to participate in the Fall 2020 commencement. The university will also honor all Class of 2020 graduates in the spring of 2021 in a separate celebration from the Spring 2021 commencement.
“These graduates have demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout their time at Tech, and have demonstrated remarkable resiliency through the April 25, 2019 event and the COVID-19 pandemic,” Guice said.
The university plans to include more details in the near future.
