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“Family really contributes to this,” Dr. Fowler said. 

Because of COVID, UMGC’s graduating classes of 2020 and 2021 were unable to march at graduation, and as the pandemic ground on, the university began exploring other scenarios. 

Serena Williams, associate director of Commencement Services, noticed that other schools were hosting ceremonies that allowed graduates to march individually, making it easier to social distance. With that as the starting point, she developed a concept tailored to UMGC. 

“We made adjustments that really honored our university, our demographic, and our graduates,” said Angie Grant, acting director of Commencement Services. 

In the process, UMGC reimagined the entire graduation experience, with a focus on students, their wants and needs, as well as the health and safety of graduates, guests, and community members. 

In a typical commencement, graduates sit with classmates while friends and family members sit in the audience. They listen to speeches and watch their classmates cross the stage. When their moment arrives, it is fleeting, and loved ones often struggle to catch a glimpse of the graduate.  

���ѳҰ�’s��Grad Walk 2022, held May 17 to 22, offered a completely different experience. 

Graduates and families arrived in Adelphi and entered the venue together. They remained together until it was time for the graduate to cross the stage and receive his or her diploma, and guests enjoyed an unobstructed view of the stage. If they needed an extra moment to capture photos or videos, or if graduates wanted to march with a friend or family member, they were encouraged to do so. (Professional photographers and videographers were also on-site to ensure that each graduate would receive personalized images and footage.) 

Over the course of six days, more than 3,300 graduates—from the classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022—crossed the stage. Those who wanted a more traditional commencement experience could view a recorded ceremony on demand which included a keynote address, a student speaker, and the conferral of their degrees by President Fowler. Including graduates and their guests, more than 23,000 people participated in the Grad Walk.  

“You make it easy for veterans to enroll and work through the required processes,” one graduate wrote. Another, also on , added, “Year and a half later, I finally got to walk! What made it better? I got to do it with my husband who graduated this year!” 

Fowler and other university leaders spent hours on site every day, distributing degrees and meeting graduates, family members, and guests as they waited in line or, afterward, in a designated “celebration zone,” along with representatives of the UMGC Alumni Association. 

Graduates could take photos in front of Maryland-themed backdrops and write messages on a signature wall, which President Fowler was the first to sign.  

“We talk about the idea of changing lives. And we are not talking about just the individual, though clearly that’s important,” said Fowler. “If you change one life, you change a family’s life. You change a family’s life, you change a community’s life.”

Even that concept got a non-traditional twist at Grad Walk. Nailah Gibson, who at only 19 years old, became the first Prince George’s 3D scholar to earn her bachelor’s degree. The PG3D scholarship program allows high school students to earn community college credit while still in high school, which allows them to speed up the time to a community college degree and then transfer directly into UMGC to complete an undergraduate degree, all for $10,000 or less.  

Also participating in Grad Walk was Mae Beale, who received her degree the day after celebrating her 82nd birthday. Her heartwarming story and inspiring message of perseverance and commitment to life-long learning garnered national media attention, including a moving feature on ABC “World News Tonight with David Muir.” 

Another octogenarian had finally earned her degree after a nearly 50-year journey that included attending many of the other schools in the University System of Maryland. With Grad Walk enabling close proximity of graduates to their families and friends as they walk across the stage, one graduate received a marriage proposal immediately after leaving the stage (the proposal was accepted!).   

Stories like these make up “the magic that is UMGC,” Fowler said, adding how proud he is to be able to accommodate the unique needs of nontraditional students and to bring the university’s years of experience to bear on commencement as well.  

“Do not be surprised if you see some version of this happening in a number of places where we do graduations,” he said.