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The University of North Georgia (ǧÃŬAV) will honor its spring and summer graduates with a virtual celebration set to begin July 27.

Graduates with a cellphone number on file with the university will receive a text message on or around July 27 with a personalized link to join the virtual graduation celebration. The interactive experience will include the opportunity to upload custom Snapchat and Instagram filters to post and celebrate their accomplishment.

"We are excited to partner with Full Measure Education to bring an engaged virtual celebration experience to our spring and summer graduates," said Jessica Brown, coordinator of University Events. "We want to help our students and their families mark this milestone, even though we had to postpone the in-person event."

In-person commencement ceremonies for spring and summer graduates are tentatively scheduled for Sept. 18-20, and students had until July 13 to declare their intent to walk in September. Ceremonies set for May and August were postponed in keeping with directives from state and federal governments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Georgia Department of Public Health to restrict large gatherings and promote social distancing due to COVID-19.

When students receive the text and click on their personalized link, they will be able to watch a congratulatory video from ǧÃŬAV President Bonita Jacobs, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Chaudron Gille, and ǧÃŬAV's deans. Other components will include the Snapchat and Instagram filters, a congratulatory letter from Jacobs and the chance to update their contact information with the university.

As with the May virtual celebration, all graduates, family members, friends, ǧÃŬAV faculty and staff, and others are encouraged to post congratulatory photos and short videos on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtags #ǧÃŬAV20grad and #ǧÃŬAVremotegrad. They are also encouraged to use the hashtags #bestvirtualdayever and #NighthawksTogether. Posts will feed into a landing page that will be linked from the ǧÃŬAV commencement website.

Students will still earn their degrees during the summer semester, consistent with academic standards. Students who have applied for graduation this semester who meet the requirements for graduation will receive their diploma via U.S. mail within four to six weeks of the semester ending.

Fall commencement ceremonies are scheduled for the weekend of Dec. 4-6, with details to be announced at a later date.