HOLYOKE, Mass (WWLP) – Holyoke Community College will be hosting in-person graduation for the first time since 2019 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield on Saturday, June 4.
In a news release from Holyoke Community College, the college’s affairs committee established an in-person commencement to be safe for this year, due to mask mandates lifting and a decrease in infection rates.
“It is with great enthusiasm that I announce that we will be able to celebrate this important moment for our students in person this spring,” HCC president Christina Royal said in a March 16 message to the HCC community. “The ceremony will include all of the pomp and circumstance and unique HCC energy we have always looked forward to at Commencement.”
This year’s ceremony is expected to honor the professor recognized with the Elaine Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence, who will lead graduates, faculty, and staff into the arena. Students will also be sharing their speeches and performances.
“Most of all, we will deliver a day our students truly deserve and have worked so hard for,” Royal said.
Graduates from the college classes of 2020 and 2021 who celebrated their commencements virtually are invited to Holyoke Community’s College 75th anniversary.
“This year’s Commencement takes on even greater meaning as we also celebrate the college’s 75th anniversary,” Royal said. “Like each of you, I look forward to this opportunity to celebrate our students’ success.”
