Parents and students, get ready for the flying caps and tassels: Adams State University received local public health approval to conduct in-person, outdoor commencement ceremonies.
The event will take place on Saturday, May 8, in Rex Field Stadium.
The Spring 2021 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. and will award 198 bachelor’s and 121 associate degrees.
The graduate ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. and will hood 328 master’s candidates and seven doctorate degrees will be conferred.
Adams State will continue to recognize and emphasize its COVID-19 health and safety protocols for the outdoor ceremonies. Guests for each ceremony are limited to two per graduating candidate. Guests for each ceremony are limited to two per graduating candidate.
The Honorable Carlos F. Lucero, Adams State Class of 1961, and Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, will be the commencement speaker at the undergraduate ceremony. He will also receive an honorary doctorate during the ceremony.
Lucero has always been an outstanding supporter of Adams State, having been recognized with the 1997 Outstanding Alumnus Award; the 2019 Billy Adams Award; and he and his wife, Dorothy Lucero, Adams State Class of 1961, received the 1999 Willis Fasset Jr. Award.
In all phases of his life, Lucero has placed great importance on education. The Luceros established and funded the Lucero Project through the Adams State Foundation in 1994. The program provides students with work-study positions to mentor at-risk children in the San Luis Valley public schools.
In 1995, Lucero was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, in Denver, by President Bill Clinton. He has taken senior status effective Feb. 1, 2021.
A live stream of each ceremony will be available for those who are unable or do not wish to attend in person.
In the event of major inclement weather or if COVID restrictions change, the ceremonies will shift to a virtual format. All graduates will be notified by Tuesday, May 4, in the unlikely event this should occur.
