Jackson Free Press

In light of official commencement ceremonies being delayed to COVID-19 related campus shutdowns, Jackson State University will hold a virtual “2020 Celebration of Graduates” on Saturday, May 9, beginning at noon.

Viewers can watch the event online at jsums.edu. The virtual commencement will include video messages from JSU Acting President Thomas K. Hudson and other campus officials and student leaders.

The event will recognize golden graduates, graduate students and undergraduate students and will include an RSS feed to allow viewers to offer well-wishes to the honorees. JSU is asking participants to email photographs to [email protected] before the ceremony, which the university will upload to social media sites as gallery slideshows.

University of Mississippi Virtual Graduation Celebration

The University of Mississippi will host a virtual celebration for graduates and their families beginning at noon on Saturday, May 9. UM will livestream the event, which will include remarks from university Chancellor Glenn Boyce, Provost Noel Wilkin, UM graduates and special guests.

Senior class president Cole Blue will address fellow graduates and 2019 Homecoming King Carl Tart will lead a ceremonial turn of the tassel. Matt Lusco, president of the Ole Miss Alumni Association, will provide remarks and make a special announcement. Ole Miss Hall of Fame inductee Leah Davis will sing the university's alma mater at the end of the ceremony.

UM students, including December 2019 graduates and May and August 2020 candidates for graduation, received official caps and tassels and other celebratory items through the mail in preparation for the event. UM is asking graduates to use the official cap and tassel to participate in the virtual tassel turn.

The UM School of Law will also host its own virtual ceremony for graduates at 1:30 p.m. “A Virtual Toast” begins at 1:30 p.m. on Zoom. Viewers can watch the virtual UM graduate celebration here starting at noon.

MSU Participating in JROTC-CS Computer Program

Mississippi State University’s Department of Computer Science & Engineering is partnering with computing non-profit CSforAll, the Air Force Junior ROTC Headquarters and other companies and organizations to launch a new program called JROTC-CS, which aims to increase computing education at the high school level. MSU is the only university currently involved in the program, a release from the university says.

JROTC-CS will reach more than 400 Air Force Junior ROTC cadets at 30 schools across 16 states during its initial phase, the release says. The program will include activities and mentoring during each cadet’s four years of high school, including participation in CyberPatriot, an advanced placement class in computer science principles. JROTC-CS also features a summer Cyber Academy and links to cybersecurity professionals during participants' senior years through internships and other touchpoints.

Participating schools will also receive capacity building training and professional development for both teachers and Junior ROTC instructors.

MSU estimates that roughly 60,000 high school students will benefit from increased access to computer science and cybersecurity classes during the program's initial rollout and that it could potentially grow to more than 500,000 students, the release says.

For more information on the consortium and pilot project, visit the CSforAll website.