PITTSBURGH TECHNICAL COLLEGE TO HONOR GRADUATES FROM PAST TWO YEARS AT IN-PERSON COMMENCEMENT ON OCT. 5
Ceremony will serve as celebration of student achievement, success of college health and safety protocols
PITTSBURGH—OCTOBER 4, 2021 – Pittsburgh Technical College (PTC) is set to hold an in-person commencement at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum on Tuesday, Oct. 5. The in-person commencement marks PTC’s first graduation ceremony since October 2019, as the ceremony will honor a total of 450 students, including a number of graduates from January 2020 through April 2021 who participated in virtual commencements, in addition to the current July and October 2021 graduates.
PTC has set the standard on health and safety protocols dating back to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the in-person commencement will be no exception. All guests will be required to wear a mask and an empty seat will separate graduates from one another. Check-in tables will be placed outside and faculty and staff sitting on stage will have their chairs distanced from one another. Graduates walking across the stage will not be receiving customary hugs and handshakes upon receiving their diplomas.
“At PTC, we’re proud of the health and safety protocols we’ve developed to protect the PTC community, and it’s shown in our ability to successfully be the first college in the Pittsburgh region to resume on-campus learning last year,” said PTC president Dr. Alicia B. Harvey-Smith. “To be able to once again recognize our graduating students with an in-person ceremony means so much to the PTC community, and I’m honored to share in this historic day with them.”
As part of PTC’s Return to Campus Plan, the college is requiring all students living in college-sponsored housing as of Oct. 18 be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The college also recently launched the UPMC MyHealth PTC Student Health Center to provide care and treatment for students as they return to campus. PTC begins a new quarter on Oct. 21 and will be welcoming its largest group of first quarter students for the year.
These are the latest in the health and safety protocols that first started in July 2020, when PTC implemented a phased approach in students returning to campus that included the requirement of all students, faculty and staff to successfully complete two educational modules designed to increase individual awareness of the science as it pertains to the novel coronavirus, as well as ways to prevent viral spread. The plan was developed using the safety protocols advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Pennsylvania Department of Health, American College Health Association and both the federal and state Departments of Education.
Awards for graduates include the Richard S. Caliguiri Award, named for the 1948 PTC graduate and former Pittsburgh Mayor, recognizing students who demonstrate academic excellence, perseverance, professionalism and leadership as chosen by PTC’s faculty. The J.R. McCartan Outstanding Student Award is named for PTC’s former president and recognizes a student from each program who embodies the mission and goals of the college and who has made a significant contribution during his or her time as a student. Lastly, a Community Service Award is given to students who have participated in a minimum of 100 hours of community service within a 12-month period of enrollment.