SUNY Canton Postpones Commencement Ceremony due to COVID-19 Concerns
The college remains committed to providing an in-person ceremony at a later date.
SUNY Canton’s administration announced today that the college will be postponing its 112th Commencement scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 9, in Roos House Convocation, Athletic and Recreation Center. The decision was made as the latest in a series of college-wide efforts to ensure the safety of the extended college community during the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“We recognize that many of you and your families are looking forward to celebrating your tremendous accomplishments at SUNY Canton by participating in your Commencement Ceremony,” said SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran in a message to all graduating seniors. “We remain committed to holding a live Commencement on campus as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Szafran sent a survey to students to seek input on future dates to hold a live ceremony, with options for holding the event either in mid-summer, early fall or next year in May 2021.
The college remains open, but in a very limited capacity to help slow the spread of COVID-19. All classes are being offered remotely. There are just over 100 students living on campus, and the remainder have made alternative living arrangements for the semester. Only essential employees are on campus to maintain business continuity and to clean.
Commencement typically attracts more than 3,000 people to campus. The area’s four colleges stagger their ceremonies to accommodate graduates’ families from each school. SUNY Canton will continue to work with SUNY Potsdam, St. Lawrence University and Clarkson University to arrange a new date for its ceremony.
SUNY Canton’s Honors Convocation celebration and the Specialty Student Awards Ceremony will be held virtually this year. Both of the Nurses’ Pinning Ceremonies will be rescheduled for a later date. The college will issue further information about those events in the future.
As Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs, SUNY Canton delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, management, and healthcare fields. It is home to the Center for Criminal Justice, Intelligence and Cybersecurity. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. As SUNY's leader in online education, SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 23 online degree programs. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos 15 traditional athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level as part of the North Atlantic Conference. SUNY Canton also features varsity esports and cheerleading.