To the Thomas College Community,

One year ago today the College announced that it was suspending in-person classes and closing our campus in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.  An unprecedented year of ups and downs has followed.  Together we saw some major victories for our community and endured some difficult setbacks.  As we approach the end of this terrible pandemic, the light of hope and the promise of “normalcy” seem to grow both brighter and closer with each passing day.

A short time ago, we shared our initial plans for our 2021 commencement ceremony scheduled to take place on May 15, 2021.  Many of you reached out in response that this wasn’t fully what you’d hoped for and we empathized with you over the impact of the safeguards mandated to protect the health and safety of our community. We also promised to monitor the situation and make accommodations based on the most recent guidance.

Following the Governor’s recent changes to guidelines on gatherings, I am extremely happy to announce two major updates to our 2021 commencement events: 

1. All graduates may now be accompanied by a maximum of 2-guests to the on-campus ceremony, scheduled for Saturday, May 15, 2021 at 1 pm
2. We will be holding our Honors Convocation ceremony on Friday evening, May 14, 2021 also with a 2-guest maximum

To further assist graduates and families as they begin their planning, please note these additional ceremony details:

• Each graduate/guests unit will be assigned their own space to watch the ceremony, safely distanced from other guests
• Everyone will be required to follow safety protocols (wearing masks, for example, more details to come)
• The ceremony will still be live-streamed for family and supporters who are unable to attend

As we have all experienced over this past year, we must be prepared to weather and react nimbly to any additional changes this pandemic may cause to our commencement planning.  Today, on the one-year anniversary, I want to thank you all for what you’ve done and the sacrifices you’ve made to beat the odds by staying together to live, work, and learn on campus.  We look forward with great anticipation and joy to celebrating you!

We will continue to keep you updated in the coming weeks as we finalize more details.  You can find the latest information on our commencement website.

With deep respect, 

 
Laurie G. Lachance, President 

Laurie G. Lachance
President
180 W River Rd, Waterville, ME 04901
wwwold.thomas.edu

For the most recent updates on Thomas College’s response to the coronavirus, please visit our COVID-19 web page.  Our COVID-19 Dashboard is updated regularly with the latest testing data.  If you have questions related to COVID-19, please do not hesitate to email us at covid19@thomas.edu.