FCC Reschedules Graduation for July 31

Like many other college institutions across the nation, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced Frontier Community College (FCC) to postpone its annual commencement.  The event was originally scheduled to be held on Friday, May 8, inside the Fairfield Community High School gymnasium.

FCC administration has made the decision to reschedule the ceremony for Friday, July 31, 2020.  Commencement will begin at 7:00PM and will be held at the First Christian Church in Fairfield.  Spring 2020 graduates will be honored, and they are welcome to invite friends and family to attend the event.

While the ceremony will be held later in the year than normal, commencement will still include the usual program agenda: the processional, presentation of degrees and certificates, charge to the class, and more.  Dr. Jay Edgren, President of FCC, will also present the President's Award to a student graduate, who will then share a short message with the audience.

The decision to postpone commencement came after receiving feedback from student graduates.  At the beginning of the month, Edgren collaborated with Brandon Weger, who serves as the Program Director for Institutional Assessment and Effectiveness for Illinois Eastern Community Colleges.  Together, they created and distributed a short survey to all FCC graduates seeking their opinion on graduation.  The response was heavily in favor of rescheduling the ceremony rather than hosting a virtual ceremony.

Prior to cancellations due to the pandemic, FCC was also planning to host an Awards Night ceremony on Friday, May 1.  The event would have recognized all students on the Fall 2020 Honors List, as well as high-achieving students from each program of FCC.  The college has decided to honor Awards Night recipients at the rescheduled graduation prior to the start of the ceremony.

Spring 2020 graduates will be contacted directly with all updates and changes regarding commencement.  Practice for the ceremony will also be scheduled by Jan Wiles, who serves as Assistant Dean of Student Services.