Cumberland University announced today that it will postpone its Commencement ceremony to June 20, 2020 due to the risk of COVID-19 spread. 

This postponement comes in response to CDC guidelines and recommendations from government officials. The Commencement ceremony was originally scheduled for Saturday, May 2, 2020. 

The ceremony will now take place on Saturday, June 20, 2020 at 10 a.m. on the Cumberland University Memorial Hall Lawn, weather permitting. The university will hold one ceremony for all degree levels – associate, bachelors and masters. 

The Nursing Pinning Ceremony originally scheduled for Friday, May 1, 2020 will now take place on the evening of Friday, June 19, 2020. 

The university has been administering all classes in a distance learning format since March 16, 2020 and will continue that through the end of the semester. All campus events have been indefinitely postponed through at least April 30, 2020. 

Cumberland students that reside on campus are able to stay on campus through the semester, and dining facilities remain open with modified hours and restrictions following Governor Lee’s Executive Orders and recommendations from the CDC. 

While the university is hopeful that the Commencement ceremony will be held on June 20, due to the constantly changing situation, this date is also subject to change based on government orders and recommendations from the CDC. An official confirmation of this date will be made in May 2020. 

Cumberland University’s COVID-19 task force is meeting regularly to monitor the situation in an attempt to make decisions that keep students, faculty, and staff as safe as possible, while simultaneously continuing a commitment to higher education. 

For more information and updates visit https://www.cumberland.edu/coronavirus/.