ArtCenter College of Design Online Graduation Scheduled for Saturday

Graduating students will participate in the ArtCenter College of Design Zoom ceremony on Saturday.

During the ceremony, when the announcer calls the name of each graduate, a slide with the student’s photo and artwork will appear on Zoom full screen. Students will be spotlighted live, briefly, at the end of the online ceremony. The event will livestream on YouTube and Facebook and be available for viewing afterwards.

Campus leaders have been brainstorming to figure out the best solution to recognize grads during quarantine. They’ve also been challenged to come up with a way for employers to meet grads as they prepare to enter the real world.

“We decided as a group and with student input that it was important to celebrate and recognize the students for their accomplishments and we hope to present a meaningful ceremony,” said Teri Bond Director of Media Relations. “So while we know this one will be memorable, since it will be online and very different from anything else we’ve ever done before. But as an art and design school, we’re not afraid to create something new and accomplish the goal.”

Like every other education system in the country, the ArtCenter was forced to shut down as the Coronavirus grew to become a pandemic.

“The college shifted once the order came down and as things were continuing to get scarier and scarier the leadership of the college came together with all of the academic leaders and started obviously coming up with these plans,” said Kristine Browne. vice president, professional development and industry engagement.

“What ended up happening is in I believe eight days, the college shifted 600 courses online. So all of the remaining courses we were offering in person, in studio the college within a very short time, we took a week, we closed the school for a week and in that week shifted all of our courses online, which was quite a feat.”

Typically, about 5,000 family, friends and recruiters participate in graduation events face-to-face. This year, students will be introduced to employers by way of a virtual career fair platform. Nike, Google and DreamWorks are among the 100 companies getting in line to meet emerging talent using a virtual recruitment process.

Additionally, ArtCenter has built its own custom platform to host an online Grad Show. Through innovative technology and human centered design, graduates will showcase their work to family, friends and potential employers.