Bowie State University News May 19, 2021 Hybrid Format Blends In-person & Virtual Elements After a year of virtual commencement ceremonies, the Bowie State University class of 2021 will make their mark by participating in the university's first hybrid celebration of their graduation achievement on Friday, May 21 at 10 a.m. at Bulldog Stadium. To comply with social distancing capacity limits for the stadium, all others, including the graduates' families, are encouraged to view the ceremony live online at bowiestate.edu/commencement<http://www.bowiestate.edu/commencement>. Most of the about 700 graduates are planning to return to the campus where they have called home to received their recognition as graduates of Maryland's first historically Black college and university. Despite ongoing restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the class of 2021 graduates will have the opportunity to step into the spotlight to receive their degrees in person and create lifelong memories as the walk across the commencement stage. The hybrid format also enabled the graduates to create personalized digital messages, which will stream immediately following the live ceremony. Commencement speaker Stacey Abrams<https://bowiestate.edu/bulldog-connection/commencement/keynote-speaker.php>, a voting right champion known for her success in turning out the vote in Georgia in 2020, will address the graduates and their families as part of the virtual ceremony. Longtime public servant in Maryland, Major Riddick Jr.<https://bowiestate.edu/bulldog-connection/commencement/presidential-medal-recipient.php> will receive the Presidential Medal of Excellence in an in-person recognition during the ceremony. This year's hybrid ceremony presents an opportunity for graduates to reconnect with their classmates and the campus where they achieved academic greatness. Sandra M. Phoenix HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> Honor the ancestors, honor the children and those yet to come. Building Capacity for Humanities Special Collections at HBCUs - Become an ally and partner with us to protect, preserve and share a more authentic record of American history. Follow this link http://hbculibraries.org/humanities-2019.html for more information. Follow this link http://hbculibraries.org/ and click on the Donate Now button to invest in this project. Your support is appreciated. Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/