VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – To honor the graduating class of 2020, Valley City State University will hold a virtual commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 16th starting at 10 a.m.

VCSU will recognize 299 graduates. 261 candidates will receive bachelor’s degrees and 38 students will receive master’s degrees.

“COVID-19 has changed much of how we do things in 2020,” said VCSU President Alan LaFave. “Unfortunately, responding effectively to the coronavirus requires us to alter our plans for one of the most hallowed of university traditions, the commencement ceremony. Although we wish we could honor the Class of 2020 with an in-person ceremony, we trust that this virtual ceremony will provide a way to honor our graduates and their accomplishments.”

The VCSU virtual ceremony will be played on the university’s YouTube channel, VCSUVikings (www.youtube.com/user/VCSUVikings). The event will appear on the YouTube channel Saturday morning at 10am.

VCSU President LaFave will preside over the commencement exercises. Audience members will also hear from Nick Hacker, chair of the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education, along with graduating senior Brandi Aranda and Steven King, professor of social science.