UNA Pressroom

Una Commencement To Be Hybrid Ceremony In Norton Auditorium

Jun. 15, 2020



Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@una.edu, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256-606-2033 or 256-765-4392

FLORENCE, AL - Commencement ceremonies at the University of North Alabama will take place following a hybrid format in Norton Auditorium on Friday, July 31 and Saturday, Aug. 1. The event will include graduates from Spring 2020 as well as Summer 2020.

"After much research and careful consideration, the University determined that this hybrid approach to commencement both appropriately celebrates our graduates and protects the health and safety of all participants," said Dr. Ross Alexander, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The hybrid model will allow graduates and essential University staff in Norton Auditorium during commencement. The ceremony will be live-streamed for family and friends to watch online on the UNA YouTube channel.

"We've always live-streamed our commencement ceremonies for the benefit of families and friends who are physically unable to attend," said Mitch Powell, Interim University Registrar. "As we move to hybrid ceremonies where only graduates will be in attendance, the live stream will be even more beneficial for families and friends to be a part of celebrating their graduate's accomplishments."

The following precautions will be taken:

  • Graduates and essential staff will be screened by University Health Services before entering Norton Auditorium. Anyone who answers 'yes' to a question on the health screening or has a temperature of 100.4 or above will not enter the auditorium.
  • Graduates will be seated six feet apart in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Alabama Department of Public Health.
  • Details on arrival times, parking, and check-in will be sent to graduates during the next few weeks. Updates regarding additional Covid-19 precautions will also be distributed accordingly.

On Friday, July 31, at 6 p.m., commencement ceremonies will include graduates from the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions and the College of Education and Human Sciences. Graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences will have their ceremony at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1, and at 2 p.m. Aug. 1, the ceremony will take place for the graduates in the College of Business.

Participants will be asked to wear a face covering, and Norton will be sanitized between each ceremony.

About The University of North Alabama The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs through the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Sciences, and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of the NCAA Division I's ASUN Big South Conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/