President Glenn McConnell ’69 issued the following message to the campus community on Friday, May 12, 2017, regarding weather conditions for Saturday’s Commencement ceremonies:
Dear Graduates, Faculty and Staff:
This evening, the College of Charleston leadership team had a meeting to receive a weather update regarding tomorrow’s commencement ceremonies.
At this time, the weather experts still predict severe thunderstorms throughout the morning and afternoon. However, as we all know, the weather here in Charleston can be unpredictable.
With that unpredictability in mind, we continue to be in communication with the National Weather Service to monitor the situation. The National Weather Service has a briefing scheduled for around 4 a.m., which members of the College will be a part of. This briefing will give us a much clearer picture of Saturday’s weather forecast. Around 5 a.m., the College will announce a decision regarding the location and start times of our Saturday ceremonies.
As an alumnus of the College, I understand how important it is for our graduating seniors to have commencement in the Cistern Yard. I’ve heard from some of you inquiring if we can move one of the Saturday ceremonies to Sunday morning, and unfortunately, that is just not possible. Many of our graduating seniors as well as family members, friends and loved ones are from out of town and will need to depart Charleston on Saturday evening or Sunday. In addition, the vendors we are contracted with are expected to begin breaking down the setup in Cistern Yard on Sunday.
I ask that you continue to be patient with us as we explore all possibilities to ensure the Class of 2017 has a memorable and wonderful graduation experience. As I mentioned, I will update everyone on our commencement plans when a decision is made early tomorrow morning through email, our news site and the College’s social media as well as a push notification through our ticketing system.
No matter the location, tomorrow, I look forward to shaking your hand and congratulating you on your incredible achievement.
Sincerely,
Glenn F. McConnell ’69
President
College of Charleston
