Due to the increase in the number of COVID-19 positive cases and the number of COVID-19 hospital inpatients in the Madison county area, UAH has made the difficult decision to cancel the December 2020 commencement ceremony.
We know this comes as a great disappointment to graduates and their families who planned to celebrate this achievement in person. When the ceremony was announced two months ago, the coronavirus infection levels and the associated hospitalizations were relatively low. Unfortunately, the state of Alabama, and Madison County, in particular, have experienced marked increases in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, and both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and our own public health experts do not believe it is safe to host a large in-person gathering at this time due to the increased risk of transmission.
Canceling the ceremony does not affect graduation or the awarding of degrees. The actual conferral of degrees, updating of final transcripts, and mailing of diplomas will remain unchanged. Once the semester ends, faculty will submit grades as usual, and degrees will be conferred. All graduates will receive their diplomas via mail.
Those students earning their degrees at The University of Alabama in Huntsville have achieved a significant accomplishment, one that we hope to celebrate together as soon as we can. The UAH faculty and administration welcome all graduates to participate in our next in-person commencement ceremony when we can safely host large events.
