AJMAN—In a bid to rescue graduates from online commencement ceremonies, Ajman University, in the United Arab Emirates, is offering students a novel drive-through approach.
It ensures they still get to enjoy the ceremonial trimmings like the cap and gown, and it allows them some semblance of an in-person event, though they still have to take precautions like wearing masks and getting tested for the coronavirus within three days before the event.
On the day of their ceremony, graduates are driven onto the campus in cars, along with supportive of family members. The graduates sit in the passenger seat and are able to step out of the car to walk the red carpet and receive their certificates from Ajman University’s chancellor, Karim Seghir, while posing for the momentous graduation-day photograph with him.
Seghir said it was important to try and offer some sense of ceremony for the students after what has been a challenging year. “Receiving the graduation certificate on campus is not just a symbolic gesture but an intrinsic part of the student experience at the university,” he said.