Jackson-area universities and colleges will honor their graduates with in-person ceremonies with some COVID-19 precautions in place.
Jackson State University, Belhaven University, Millsaps College, Tougaloo College, Hinds Community College and Mississippi College plan to host graduation ceremonies.
Here is a look at when and where the ceremonies will be held.
Jackson State University
The graduation ceremonies will celebrate the class of 2022. Last year, the classes of 2020, 2021 and 1971 were welcomed back to campus.
Here is the schedule for commencement ceremonies:
- Doctoral hooding ceremony: April 28, 4 p.m., Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center on campus, 1400 John R. Lynch St., Jackson
- Graduate ceremony: April 29, 9 a.m., Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center on campus, 1400 John R. Lynch St., Jackson
- – Undergraduate ceremony: April 30, 9 a.m., Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, 2531 North State St., Jackson
The commencement speakers are Jackson State alum Homer Wilkes, undersecretary of the natural resources and environment with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for the undergraduate ceremony. Thasunda Brown Duckett, president and CEO of financial services company TIAA, will serve as a speaker for the graduate student ceremony.
No tickets are needed to attend the ceremonies. There is also no limit on guests for a graduate, but the venue doors will close when maximum occupancy is reached.
Graduates will have spaced seating, and masks will be required throughout the ceremony.
The undergraduate, graduate and doctoral hooding ceremonies are expected to be livestreamed on JSU’s Facebook page.
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Belhaven University
The university will host one commencement ceremony for its spring undergraduate, graduate, adult and online students from its Jackson and Desoto Belhaven campuses.
- Commencement: April 30, 9:30 a.m., Mississippi Coliseum, 1207 Mississippi St., Jackson. Steve Brown will be the commencement speaker. He is a seminary professor, broadcaster, author and founder and president of Key Life Network.
Each graduate can claim up to 15 tickets at this link. Tickets can be printed or scanned on a mobile device with a QR code.
All seats are general admission. Doors will open an hour before the ceremony starts.
Face masks or coverings are required for all guests at all times.
Balloons, signs noisemakers or outside food and drink are allowed at the venue.
Pictures and videos from commencement will be in a new album on Belhaven University’s Facebook page in the days after the ceremony.
Millsaps College
Events will be held for students leading up to graduation and one commencement ceremony.
Here is the full schedule for commencement ceremonies:
- Baccalaureate: May 6, 6 p.m., Galloway United Methodist Church, 305 North Congress St., Jackson. Meet at church gathering area, line up on mezzanine level. Regalia attire is required
- Commencement: May 7, 9:30 a.m., The Bowl at the center of campus, 1701 North State St., Jackson. Graduates will meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Gertrude C. Ford Academic Complex on campus. In case of rain, the ceremony will move to Christ United Methodist Church at 6000 Old Canton Road, Jackson, and begin at 10:30 a.m.
Tickets are not required and seating is first-come-first-serve. The ceremonies will be livestreamed on the college’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
Tougaloo College
Events for students will be held leading up to graduation and one commencement ceremony.
Here is the full schedule for commencement ceremonies:
- Baccalaureate: May 1, 8 a.m., Woodworth Chapel on campus, 6550 Tougaloo Blvd., Tougaloo
- Commencement: May 1, 10 a.m., Campus green, 500 West County Line Road, Tougaloo
– If inclement weather is in the forecast, a venue change will be announced by April 29. Those participating in the ceremony or planning to attend should go to the Jackson Convention Complex at 105 East Pascagoula St., Jackson
The speaker for the baccalaureate service is the Rev. Dr. J. Lawrence Turner of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis.
Tougaloo’s commencement speaker is Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, representative of the United States to the United Nations.
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Seating is first-come, first-serve. Guests should be seated by 7:30 a.m. for the baccalaureate service and 9:30 a.m. for the commencement ceremony.
Attendees are requested to wear masks.
Confetti, balloons or noisemakers are allowed at the venue.
A professional photographer will be at commencement and will contact each graduate about photos later.
The ceremonies will be livestreamed.
Hinds Community College
Three graduation ceremonies will be held based on the student’s program of study and campus location.
Here is more information about the commencement ceremonies:
- Nursing graduation: May 11, 2 p.m., Clyde Muse Center, Rankin Campus, 515 Country Place Parkway, Pearl
- Graduation for all academic, career and technical graduates: May 12, Clyde Muse Center, Rankin Campus, 515 Country Place Parkway, Pearl. 9 a.m. (Last names A-G), 11 a.m. (Last names H-P), 2 p.m. (Last names Q-Z)
- Utica campus graduation: May 14, 9 a.m., J.D. Boyd Gymnasium, Utica Campus, 34175 Hwy 18 West, Utica
A professional photographer will be at commencement and will contact students after graduation.
Tickets are not required and seating is first-come-first-serve.
All ceremonies will be livestreamed on the college’s website.
Mississippi College
There will be several degree ceremonies and one commencement ceremony.
Here is the full schedule for commencement ceremonies:
- Commencement: May 5, 5:30 p.m., The Quad on campus, 200 South Capitol St., Clinton. Students will not wear regalia. They are invited to a reception with their major department at 7 p.m.
Students should RSVP at mc.edu/commencement/rsvp about whether they will attend commencement and include their number of guests attending.
The commencement speaker is Becky DeWett, a missionary worker in Kyiv, Ukraine and a Mississippi College alumna.
Undergraduate and graduate degree ceremonies: May 6, A.E. Wood Coliseum on campus, 200 South Capitol St., Clinton. Students are required to wear regalia and will be recognized by name as they walk across the stage to receive their diploma cover.
- 10 a.m.: Schools of Business, Christian Studies and the Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences
- 1 p.m.: Schools of Nursing, Sciences and Mathematics and Interdisciplinary Studies
- 4 p.m.: School of Education
Tickets are not required and seating is first-come-first-serve.
On-campus, mask-wearing or social distancing are not required, but those who choose to are encouraged to do so.
The graduation ceremony will be livestreamed and will be available through a link released by the school at a later time. A recording of the ceremony will also be posted online.
Holmes Community College
Two commencement ceremonies will be held at the Goodman campus for graduates across three campuses. Ridgeland is the college’s largest campus.
Here is the commencement schedule:
- Ridgeland campus commencement: May 12, 10 a.m., Goodman Campus, 1 Hill St., Goodman
- Goodman and Grenada campus commencement: May 12, 2 p.m., Goodman Campus, 1 Hill St., Goodman
Tickets are required to attend the event. Each graduating student was given six tickets for guests.
The ceremonies will be livestreamed at holmesccmedia.com
Reporter Mina Corpuz can be reached by email at [email protected]. You can follow her on Twitter @mlcorpuz.
