Every year, UWI St Augustine has a host of events, but none more important than graduation. The annual graduation ceremony brings the entire campus community together -- along with the loved ones of the graduates -- to celebrate their academic achievements. For Graduation 2020 however, the restrictions on mass gatherings brought about by COVID-19 meant that the graduation committee had to find a new way to make it happen. They went virtual.
“The objective of the virtual graduation was to host an online celebration of and for our graduates that was full of pomp and ceremony that this milestone deserves,” says Wynell Gregorio, Director of UWI St Augustine’s Marketing and Communications Office (M&C), “while ensuring that it did not pose a risk to the health and safety of our students, staff, and stakeholders.”
It was an enormous task, requiring not only the reimagining of the two day ceremony (held on January 11 and 12), but also a great amount of work. Graduation 2020 included five months of planning, nearly 900 hours of production, two days of voiceover work, 18 days of photography, eight days of shooting and five live performances.
The virtual graduation was very much like a traditional, in-person grad, except it was in the format of a pre-recorded, streaming show. Some of the highlights include the cultural performances by St Augustine students Emmanuel Joseph on the pan, dancer Nicole Whiteman, and Indian classical musician Abhijit Anchortassoo. There were also performances by master pannist Len “Boogsie” Sharpe and storytelling icon Paul Keens Douglas, two of the 2020 honorary graduates.
Perhaps most important of all for the students, every graduate’s name was called to receive their diploma. When the virtual graduation was being planned, some students were not pleased.
“Getting buy-in from students was a challenge we had to overcome. Students were obviously disappointed that they would not be able to cross the stage and clamored for a physical ceremony,” says Mrs Gregorio.
However, the campus was unwilling to accept the risk of a large gathering. And though the event was not the same, it was very well-received.
“The feedback has been mostly positive,” she says. “Students were appreciative of the production value and have lauded the effort of the campus in putting together a virtual graduation they were proud to be featured in.”
The Director of M&C also stressed that graduation was a collective effort involving The Office of the Campus Registrar- Exams and Postgrad Studies, the Office of the Campus Principal, Health Services Unit, Division of Facilities Management, and Campus Security. The production was done by Imagine Media International.
She says: “It certainly has been a rewarding experience. The University is very proud of the overall production. The virtual ceremonies were able to capture the essence of the celebration of students. It made viewers emotional and it showcased the beauty of the St Augustine Campus.”
