Dear Class of 2020,

I hope by now you’ve all received the box from the college containing your diplomas and, if you ordered them, caps and gowns. We’ve enjoyed the photos you’ve shared on social media, and I’m glad you’re celebrating your achievement. Receiving a college degree is neither commonplace nor something to be taken for granted. You should be proud, and you should celebrate.

You should also be celebrated. In March, we hoped to postpone your SMC celebration until later this summer. By that time, we believed South Carolina would have seen a drop in COVID-19 cases, and it would be safe, or safer, to gather in person.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 cases in South Carolina and in Spartanburg continue to increase. To hold a Graduation event this summer would force us to place strict limits on the number of family members who would be allowed to attend your celebration, and we don’t want to do that. We also don’t want the shadow of a dangerous disease weighing down the day.

Therefore, we have made the decision to postpone the Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2020 until Saturday, May 8, 2021.

You and your families will be honored guests at a ceremony that will make history for two reasons: the first is that it will be SMC’s inaugural Baccalaureate degree celebration, when the senior Class of 2021 receives their diplomas.  Second, it will be the first time in the college’s history that we will graduate two classes at the same time. We are planning a two-day celebration to honor both classes, and it will be memorable for all.

While we recognize there are no guarantees, we feel confident that the virus will be under control, via vaccine or successful treatments for those more severely affected, by late spring of next year. We will show our Class of 2020 all the love, honor and respect you deserve for finishing your degrees in the most challenging circumstances in recent memory, and we will do it free from the restrictions that would compromise the significance for you and the loved ones who have supported you.

While I know many of you were looking forward to walking the stage this summer, as were we, we will look forward to an even more joyful future celebration. We’ll be in touch in late winter, 2021, with more details, but save the dates for Friday, May 7 and Saturday, May 8, 2021

All the best,
Scott
President of Spartanburg Methodist College