Commencement will be very different this year, as the COVID-19 pandemic has made large gatherings a thing of the past. Students who have already adapted to online classes now will graduate virtually, too.

“I know they’re disappointed,” NCCC spokesman Chris Knight said. “To have put in the amount of work our students have put in … hoping to stand on that stage and shake hands with the president and get your diploma, to have everybody that you love there, sharing in that moment. There’s nothing that can replace that. We know that.”

He said NCCC has changed its graduation plans on a short timeline.

In lieu of celebrating in person, the college will send a prerecorded commencement on the planned date for the event, May 16.

The videos will include messages from the president and commencement speaker, encouraging words from faculty members, pictures, and acknowledgements of all students, nurses who are being pinned, and honor society and award recipients. Diplomas will be mailed to graduates.

Along with this core video, individual students will be emailed personalized videos, which might include their professors recognizing their accomplishments.

Knight said college officials hope to keep commencement as “normal” as possible but not conduct it in a vacuum. He said the digital ceremony has to acknowledge the strange time in which students are beginning their post-collegiate lives.

He said the commencement plans were presented to students at a town hall meeting Tuesday night, April 21 and that many supported the plans and had their own suggestions.

Knight said some were just thankful to have anything at all.

The college is working with Great Range, a Saranac Lake-based content and marketing company, to produce the videos.

Knight said college officials had talked about doing graduation live but were worried about connectivity challenges and didn’t want anyone to miss the event because of bad internet service.

He said this way the videos can be shared with all members of the family, and can be viewed later, too.

Knight also said that if social-distancing guidelines are relaxed sometime down the line, the college would consider doing an on-campus, cap-and-gown event and photo session for students who want to come back.

NCCC has its main campus in Saranac Lake and satellite campuses in Malone and Ticonderoga.