Providence College holds commencement on campus for first time since 1975

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PROVIDENCE — For many colleges throughout the state, this spring marked a return to “commencement as usual” after the pandemic; at Providence College, however, Commencement 2021 resurrected an even older tradition by hosting exercises on campus for the first time since 1975. A total of 1,000 undergraduate degrees were awarded on the college’s Hendricken Field at a ceremony on the morning of Thursday, May 20.
Prior to last year, when the school held its first virtual commencement, graduation exercises had been held at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The smaller scale of this year’s event (made necessary by social distancing guidelines) made an on-campus commencement seem more practical than the stadium-sized graduations of years gone by.
The graduation also marked the first commencement for new Providence College President Father Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P., who expressed his gratitude for the return to normalcy represented by the in-person event.
“I really can’t count the challenges you have faced as a class,” Father Sicard said. “But when the narrative of the Class of 2021 is written, I hope you see it not as a chronicle of struggle, but a story of perseverance and achievement.”
Gratitude was also the key theme of the commencement address, delivered by Dr. Laurie Santos of Yale University. Dr. Santos is a nationally recognized expert on the science of happiness, and the host of the popular podcast “The Happiness Lab.”
Speaking with the Rhode Island Catholic before giving her address, Dr. Santos described her connections to the area.
“I grew up in New Bedford, my dad is currently living in Tiverton,” she said. “Going to Catholic school for eight years, Providence College was one of the first colleges to really impress me as a teenager.”
During her address, Dr. Santos led the graduates through a “gratitude exercise,” encouraging them to envision the specific parts of their experience as Friars that they were the most grateful for.
“Although these days, we’re more likely to count our hassles than our blessings,” Santos said, “But it has been scientifically proven that practicing gratitude can help you to feel healthier, sleep more soundly, and work more productively.”
The day after the undergraduate ceremony, Providence College awarded 229 graduate degrees and 20 continuing education degrees.
Auxiliary Bishop Robert C. Evans was on hand to provide the Invocation for both ceremonies. In his address to the undergraduates, Bishop Evans prayed that “in these uncertain times, these graduates may never submit to fear, but will rather allow the light that is Christ to shine through them.”
A video of Providence College’s 103rd commencement ceremony may be viewed at this address: https://commencement.providence.edu/class-of-2021/livestreams.