Students received an email Wednesday morning announcing May commencement will be postponed for all WSU campuses due to restrictions on large group gatherings.

Graduates will have two opportunities to celebrate commencement, according to the email. 

An in-person event for WSU Pullman is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 8, according to the email. Other WSU campuses will announce dates for in-person events later.

There will also be a system-wide online commencement on May 8. WSU President Kirk Schulz said in the email that students who have ideas about how to make an online event meaningful should email him directly at [email protected]. 

The decision to have two events was made to appeal to students who want a traditional May graduation and to those who want to experience an in-person event with “pomp and circumstance.”

Schulz said in the email that he will answer more questions about commencement during the online COVID-19 town hall at 11 a.m. Friday.