IWU pushes commencement and homecoming to October

MT. PLEASANT - Iowa Wesleyan University will postpone their Class of 2020 commencement ceremony and upcoming homecoming activities to late-October.

The changes comes in light of closures and restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The university announced on Thursday that it will hold their commencement ceremony on the evening of Friday, Oct. 23, according to a news release from the school. The ceremony will take place alongside their homecoming weekend, which will conclude Oct. 25.

The weekend will include the university's annual Homecoming parade, football game, Alumni Banquet and Hall of Fame Ceremony, as well as a ribbon cutting for their renovated Willis Wrestling Facility.

While IWU has, in the past several years, aligned their homecoming with Mt. Pleasant Community High School, the university noted it 'felt this year it would be important to have two weekends to support local businesses while alumni come back to their alma maters.” The local high school currently has the football game on Friday, Oct. 2 marked as its Homecoming.

The university added it believed Homecoming 'is an ideal weekend to hold the commencement ceremony” because the combined activities will give members of the IW community one designated weekend to gather for 'celebrations and festivities.

Derek Zander, Vice President for Advancement and Athletics, said the university is 'excited for this combined weekend to be one to remember.” 'Commencement for the 2020 class will be a memorable day as we celebrate their accomplishments and reflect on the resilience of our students during these unprecedented times. Homecoming 2020 will then kick off with many great events. We look forward to having our alumni back on campus to celebrate with the Class of 2020 while reminiscing the impact Iowa Wesleyan has had on so many of our lives,” Zander added.