LHU’s Class of 2020 celebrates long-awaited in-person commencement

LOCK HAVEN, PA — Nearly 75 alumni from the Class of 2020, who were unable to enjoy their traditional in-person commencement last year because of COVID-19, returned to Hubert Jack Stadium on Saturday, May 15 to celebrate their graduation from Lock Haven University.

“You are a generation that we will never forget,” said Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Ron Darbeau. “And I will tell you that many of us have taken lessons from what you have managed to accomplish.”

The Class of 2020 was able to experience a virtual commencement last year, but for many of the attending graduates, Saturday marked their first return to The Haven since students were asked to leave campus and shift to remote learning in March of 2020, following the outbreak of COVID-19.

Student commencement speaker Haleigh Swam received her diploma from LHU last year with a degree in accounting and business administration.

Swam spent four years on LHU’s soccer team, and she was a member of LHU’s Global Honors Program. She was extremely grateful to be back at The Haven to celebrate her long-awaited commencement with her peers.

“Thank you to the individuals who put this event together, an event that we thought would never happen,” Swam said. “Thank you to each professor, faculty member and coach. Thank you for not giving up on us.”

“We are a graduating class that no one will forget,” Swam added. “We are one of a kind to receive our diploma through a pandemic. If we can do that, I really don’t think there is much that we can’t do.”

Also, in attendance was LHU Alumni Association president, Dan Cruttenden. Cruttenden graduated from Lock Haven State College in 1973. He spoke to graduates about the many ways in which they are able to give back to the university and reminded them that Lock Haven University will always be their “forever home.”

“The education you received from Lock Haven University has prepared you well to lead, prosper and soar higher to the next phase of your life,” Cruttenden said. “As you move forward with your careers and lives, the LHU Alumni Association hopes that you will also maintain your connections to Lock Haven University.”

“Today you join over 35,000 Lock Haven University alumni and over 800,000 alumni in the state system, across the Commonwealth and across the globe,” said Joe Fiochetta, Vice President of University Advancement. “Today, your status as a Bald Eagle is forever memorialized,” he added.