Bismarck State College is proud to honor student achievement with graduates and their families and looks forward to the conferral of 1000+ degrees during the college's 81st Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 14, 2021 at 2 p.m. (CST). The event will feature Dr. Michael LeBeau, Sanford Health Bismarck president and CEO, as the 2021 BSC Commencement speaker. The student speaker is Kaydee Hager from Bismarck, N.D., graduating in 2021 with an Associate in Arts degree.
"We knew last fall that this academic year would be filled with uncertainties. It was our hope that the BSC community could stay together, in person and on campus, for the entire school year," says BSC President Doug Jensen. "While it wasn't always easy, our students were diligent, they stayed the course and they got us to where we are today. I am so proud of MysticNation and now it is time to celebrate."
This is Jensen's first commencement as BSC president. Due to the complex planning logistics required for the commencement event, BSC had to make the decision very early in the spring semester about how best to proceed with the ceremony. Following the COVID-19 Risk Level event guidelines in place at that time, it was determined the 2021 BSC Commencement ceremony would be held as a virtual event.
"If only we could have known in January what May was going to look like, but decisions had to be made at a time when COVID cases were still very high," says Jensen.
The 2021 BSC Virtual Commencement Ceremony will be streamed live at bismarckstate.edu/livestream, and a Facebook Watch Party will be held at the same time on the BSC Facebook page, allowing students, family and friends to watch together and share congratulatory messages for BSC graduates. The ceremony will also be televised on Sunday, May 16, at 11:30 a.m. on West Dakota Fox (Cable Channel 604 HD).
BSC will also host small, program-specific celebrations on campus on Commencement Day. All 2021 graduates will be invited to participate, in person, in the 2022 BSC Commencement ceremony in May 2022.