By Nourhan Samra
UNIVERSITY CITY – American University of Sharjah announced Sunday it is cancelling its Spring 2020 commencement due to the Covid-19 crisis, although the possibility of a “virtual” ceremony still exists.
Chancellor Kevin Mitchell made the statement in a letter which summarized other recent steps taken to tackle issues that emerged as a result of the global pandemic.
Surveys have been sent out to graduates by email, asking them to make a choice between a virtual ceremony or a commencement in Fall 2020.
“A committee composed of members of the graduating class will make recommendations on alternatives to the planned June ceremony,” Mitchell wrote.
The chancellor noted that graduates will face challenges that were “unimaginable” when they first started their final semester.
In the letter, Mitchell noted that while the campus has closed, teaching has continued online, and some campus activities have continued. For example, the Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs worked with corporate partners to develop the Virtual Career Fair to support graduates, Mitchell wrote.
The fair, held on April 20, included 34 participating companies and over 1,000 registered students and alumni, Mitchell added.
In the letter, Mitchell stated that the Summer 2020 term will be taught online as per the Ministry of Education’s directives.
“This will of course bring new challenges as we will be beginning classes online rather than moving to remote delivery after being afforded the opportunity to meet students and establish the tone of the course through interactions at the beginning of the Spring 2020 semester,” he wrote.
The new online system may be the only introduction to the university for first-time students who have not yet taken courses at AUS, he added.
The chancellor also mentioned the hardships some families are going through like salary reductions and redundancy, and emphasized the “need to remain sympathetic” to these circumstances.
“We have already taken steps such as refunding prorated dormitory fees, which has impacted revenue for the current academic year,” Mitchell wrote.
According to the letter, current merit, Dean’s list and Chancellor’s list scholarships will be automatically extended to the Fall 2020 semester.
Additionally, AUS announced the Summer 2020 Financial Assistance Grant to support students who need immediate financial help during the summer semester, Mitchell wrote.
Financial circumstances will also affect continuing students who may interrupt their studies, according to Mitchell.
“Increasing student support is extremely important at this time, and it will require that we become more efficient with resources in other areas to provide the funding that will be necessary,” he wrote.
Mitchell stated that many indicators suggest this period of restriction may last longer than expected.
He also added that it is important to quickly adapt to current changes and learn from what has been experienced throughout the Spring semester.
