Jacob Betzner

Virtual Commencement Ceremony

CHALLENGE

Stay-at-home orders in early 2020 forced the 2020 Duquesne University School of Pharmacy Commencement Ceremony to go on in a fully virtual format. The Dean wanted the virtual commencement ceremony to follow the script of a traditional commencement ceremony as closely as possible. Despite a relatively short time frame due to the uncertainty of the evolving situation in the weeks leading up to scheduled date, I worked to create a memorable experience and a small sense of togetherness for graduates and family members.

STRATEGY

I recorded nearly two hours of video, curated content from multiple sources, and created 166 slides highlighting the accomplishments of every individual graduate. I condensed everything into 90 minutes using Adobe Premiere. I promoted the virtual commencement ceremony and created a “Virtual Commencement Hub” landing page on the School of Pharmacy website with the embedded video, a PDF of the program, and short articles featuring graduates with unique backgrounds. I shared the series in posts on social media channels and information about the virtual commencement ceremony in email blasts. I relied on real-time marketing principles at-event, and post-event, graduates and faculty joined a Zoom to watch nearly 40 additional minutes of “Thank You” and “Congratulations” video I curated from graduates and faculty and staff, respectively.

SOCIAL MEDIA

VIDEO

SLIDESHOW

COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY PROGRAM

RESULTS

The virtual commencement ceremony played as a YouTube Premiere to over 500 live viewers and surpassed 2,000 total views. The virtual commencement ceremony led to a blueprint for future virtual and hybrid commencements throughout the university and, in part, led to the university creating a new position specifically to manage the livestreaming of different events.