ELMS COLLEGE 90th COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES
Commencement took place on the Elms College campus on Saturday, May 15, 2021.
Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient
Elms College is pleased to announce that this year’s Commencement Speaker is Haitian-American novelist and short story writer Edwidge Danticat, MFA. Danticat, who delivered her address remotely from her home in Miami, has been praised for her sparse, emotionally evocative prose and for highlighting the stories of the Haitian diaspora. Her first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory, which deals with questions of racial, linguistic and gender identity in interconnected ways, went on to become an Oprah’s Book Club selection.
Danticat earned her master of fine arts degree from Brown University. She is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including The National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and Autobiography, The Story Prize, and a MacArthur Fellows Program “genius grant.”
The 90th Commencement ceremonies also featured the awarding of honorary degrees. In addition to Danticat, another recipient of Doctor of Humane Letters degree was Hampden County Sheriff Nicholas Cocchi, a 2013 graduate of the Elms College MBA program.
The College of Our Lady of the Elms’ 90th Commencement Ceremony, will be held on Saturday, May 15, 2021.
To make sure you’re ready for commencement, we will be holding Countdown to Commencement on March 25 from 12:15-1:15 am and 5-6 pm.
If you have general commencement inquiries or questions, please email studentaffairs@elms.edu or call 413-265-2210.
Ordering Caps and Gowns
Students can pick up their regalia in the college bookstore.
Bookstore hours:
- Monday, May 3- Friday May 7- 10 am – 4 pm
- Monday, May 10- Friday, May 14- 10 am – 5 pm
- Saturday, May 15- CLOSED
If you have any questions, please contact the bookstore at 413-265-2273.
Information for Students
For detailed information for students click here.
REMINDER:
Information for Family and Guests
To keep foot traffic on campus to a minimum we are providing large LED screens in the B and C lots for guests to view the Commencement ceremony from their cars. Audio will be provided via car radios. Each graduate may have up to four guests, who must all be in the same vehicle.
As the event will be livestreamed, guests can also watch the ceremony via their smartphones, iPads, or other small screen devices. More information on where and when to access the livestream will be shared soon. Commencement is closed to the general public, but those interested are encouraged to view the livestream.
Graduates and their families are invited to share their social media photos using the hashtag #Elms2021. Be sure to follow @elmscollege on Instagram and Twitter. Photos taken by Elms College staff during these events will be posted on the Elms College Facebook page as soon as they are available.
During Commencement, a professional photographer from Commencement Photos will be taking a picture of each student as they are handed their diploma. In the weeks after commencement, Commencement Photos will be contacting you and your family to be able to purchase these photos.
Rules for Photographs on Campus
In order to reduce the number of people gathering after the Commencement ceremony, graduates are encouraged to take photos with friends and family in small groups prior to Commencement day. This means the week of Commencement during normal business hours (8:30-4:30 pm.)
- You must wear masks and follow safety guidelines.
- You may not take photos prior to the Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 15.
- When arriving on campus, graduates must go right to check in, which will be located in front of Maguire Center and remain there ready for the commencement processional
- If you plan to come to campus on Friday, May 14th for photographs, please complete your visit before 12:00 pm as the college will be preparing for Baccalaureate Mass in the afternoon.
Photography on Saturday, May 15th after Commencement:
From 12:30-1:30 pm, after the Commencement Ceremony, Marketing will be available to take photographs of you and your family in front of Berchmans Hall.
You may meet near the front gate of the college on Springfield Street where there will be a check in table for the photographs. Please limit your photos to no more than two so everyone has an opportunity.
You will not be able to take photos on the stage with family or friends and will not be permitted in any of the buildings on campus.
In the event that inclement weather impacts the Commencement ceremony, please feel free to return to campus at a later time to take photos.
Information for Faculty and Staff
Faculty and Staff should arrive at the MassMutual Center located at 1277 Main Street, Springfield, MA 01103 by 9:00 a.m. Parking is available in the parking garage for a fee or there may be free on street parking. Faculty and Staff in academic regalia will process into the arena beginning promptly at 9:30 a.m.
Accessibility Arrangements:
- An interpreter for those who are hearing-impaired will be part of the commencement ceremony.
- Graduating students attending the commencement ceremony or any other Elms sponsored event that may require accessibility related accommodations should contact Hillary Gregory to discuss the necessary arrangements no later than April 1, 2021.
- Family and friends attending graduation events that may require accessibility related accommodations should contact Hillary Gregory, Director of Student Accommodations and Support Services, directly at 413-265-2333 or gregoryh@elms.edu.
- An interpreter for those who are hearing-impaired will be part of the commencement ceremony.
- Graduating students attending the commencement ceremony or any other Elms sponsored event that may require accessibility related accommodations should contact Hillary Gregory to discuss the necessary arrangements no later than April 1, 2021.
- Family and friends attending graduation events that may require accessibility related accommodations should contact Hillary Gregory, Director of Student Accommodations and Support Services, directly at 413-265-2333 or gregoryh@elms.edu.
- The MassMutual Center has reserved seating sections available for individuals who use wheelchairs or who have mobility challenges. The spaces are limited, so please plan accordingly. A MassMutual attendant may be able to assist you in locating these sections and may be able to assist any person in need of mobility support, including escorting guests to accessible seating areas.
- The MassMutual Center offers drop-off and pick-up areas at the Box Office entrance on the corner of Bruce Landon Way and Main Street for guests requiring mobility assistance. https://www.massmutualcenter.com/accessibility
- If you have specific accommodation needs not listed above nor on the MassMutual Center Accessibility link, please contact Hillary Gregory at 413-265-2333 or gregoryh@elms.edu.