Above, Northwest graduates participate in the University's 2019 spring commencement weekend. (Photo by Brandon Bland/Northwest Missouri State University)

Northwest Missouri State University will celebrate the achievements of its spring graduates with commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Aug. 8.

Northwest was set to host its annual spring commencement ceremonies May 8-9, but announced their postponement last week to protect the health and safety of its community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead, Northwest will award bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and certificates to its more than 920 spring graduates during two Aug. 8 ceremonies, beginning at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Bearcat Arena. Those who cannot participate in one of the rescheduled ceremonies may participate in the University’s winter commencement ceremonies in December.

Graduating students will receive additional information, via their Northwest email, in coming weeks with instructions for registering for the ceremony in which they wish to participate and for placing cap and gown orders.

Candidates for graduation may pick up caps and gowns on the first floor of the Administration Building from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3, through Thursday, Aug. 6, or one hour prior to each ceremony on Aug. 8. Graduates also may pick up their caps and gowns at Northwest-Kansas City in Gladstone by contacting Kaley Coulter at kcoulter@nwmissouri.edu.

Doors to Bearcat Arena open to guests one hour prior to each ceremony. No tickets are necessary to attend the ceremonies. To accommodate guests who cannot attend, Northwest will offer a live online stream of the ceremonies at www.nwmissouri.edu/live.   

Northwest encourages graduates and their families and friends to interact with Northwest social media before, during and after the commencement ceremonies by using the hashtag #NWGrad. Photos also may be emailed to nwgrad@nwmissouri.edu for posting to Northwest’s Flickr page at www.flickr.com/nwmostate/.

For more details about commencement ceremonies at Northwest, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/graduation/.