Bemidji State University will be holding three commencement ceremonies on this Friday, May 6, for more than 1,010 graduating students.

This will be BSU’s 102nd commencement and will celebrate its 103rd graduating class. The first ceremony starts at 9 AM at the Sanford Center.

Three commencement ceremonies will take place, one for each of the university’s colleges. Graduates are not required to attend the ceremony in person, as not all graduates will be attending. Due to commencement being cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, BSU held a virtual recognition for the graduating seniors.

The first ceremony at 9 AM will honor 226 graduating seniors from College of Arts, Education and Humanities, and the ceremony to follow at noon will be for 410 graduating seniors in College of Business, Mathematics, and Science. The last ceremony at 3 PM will end the day with 411 College of Individual and Community Health graduates. Each ceremony should be around an hour, and will also be live streamed on Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo for family and friends who cannot attend in person.

This year’s graduating class will hear from various speakers both in-person and virtually. Speakers will include University President Faith C. Hensrud, Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Allen Bedford, and BSU’s 2022 Distinguished Minnesotan Dr. Arne Vainio, who will deliver the commencement address. A member of the Minnesota State Board of Trustees, Roger Moe, will also provide a few remarks at each ceremony.

BSU would like to remind guests that commencement ceremonies are free and open to the public. There are no ticket purchases required. Students are asked to limit their guests to 10 or less. Parking is free at the Sanford Center.

By — Emma Hudziak