DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern Oklahoma State University recently announced plans to move forward in planning for an in-person commencement this spring.

The University is in the process of developing a plan to host several in-person graduation ceremonies the weekend of May 7 at Paul Laird Field on the campus in Durant. These ceremonies will celebrate the commencement of 2020 graduates and May 2021 graduates.

For those students graduating in the Summer of 2021, the University will hold a ceremony at the end of the 2021 Summer semester. The commencement plans will balance the tradition of the ceremony with safety concerns for graduates, guests and staff with respect to public health and safety.

“Commencement is one of the most important events on campus as we celebrate the accomplishments of students, faculty and staff through graduation,’’ said Southeastern president Thomas Newsom. “I am excited that we are able to move back to providing this experience for our University family.’’

On a future date, each graduate for 2020 and May 2021 will be contacted via their student email to register for their corresponding ceremony. Based on that registration, the University will determine how many guests each graduate may invite to attend. Tickets will be required for graduates and their guests, and the number of guests may be limited.

All ceremonies will be held outdoors at Paul Laird Field. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be delayed until later the same day. If the weather does not allow for that to happen, the ceremony will be canceled as the University does not have the ability to safely move the ceremonies indoors at this time.

In addition,  all ceremonies will be live streamed and an online-only ceremony will be available for viewing for those who are unable to attend or do not wish to attend in person. All participants, graduates, guests and staff will be required to wear a face mask and maintain social distancing during the event.

Further details for the ceremonies will be released as soon as possible.