In alignment with the most recent federal guidelines regarding limiting large gatherings involving 50 or more people, Kellogg Community College today announced it will cancel its annual Commencement ceremony as well as all other campus events through May 15, 2020.

In addition to Commencement, which was previously planned for May 14 in Battle Creek, other canceled events include theater productions, musical performances and student awards ceremonies.

“We are in unprecedented times and we are taking unprecedented measures as an institution to prevent exposure to the coronavirus that is rapidly spreading in Michigan and around the world,” said Dr. Adrien Bennings, president of KCC. “We are disappointed that we won’t have the opportunity to celebrate our Bruins’ success by handing them a diploma as they walk across the stage to the applause of their family and friends, but we will find some other way to recognize their accomplishments.”

Although the KCC Board of Trustees canceled its March 18 meeting, it has not yet determined whether it will hold its April and May regular meetings as scheduled.

An updated list of all event cancellations is available at Kellogg.edu/coronavirus.

In addition to event cancellations, KCC is, as of today, limiting access to certain campus facilities. These restrictions include the following:

Update: In accordance with an executive order signed today by Gov. Whitmer and in alignment with CDC guidelines announced yesterday, the Morris Library at KCC is now closed to the public and to students through May 15. The Morris Library remains open with regular hours, but access is limited only to currently enrolled students and KCC employees. In addition, KCC will limit the number of people in the campus library to no more than 50 people at any given time. Online access to a host of library services remains available at Kellogg.edu/library .

Online access to a host of library services remains available at The Bruin Bistro will reduce its hours to 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. weekdays and fulfill food orders only through its walk-up window.

The Miller Physical Education Building is closed through May 15 to students and staff other than those who are performing business functions or need access to offices for specific student services.

Today’s announcement of additional campus restrictions and event cancellations follows last week’s announcement that all classes with any face-to-face components are canceled for this week, March 16-20, with the intention of resuming on March 23 in an online or hybrid format.

Faculty and staff are working this week to complete the transition of face-to-face classes and communicate specific details to students by Thursday, March 19. KCC students are advised to monitor their KCC email for updates regarding their classes and to check Kellogg.edu/coronavirus for institutional updates.

For more news about Kellogg Community College, view our latest press releases online at http://daily.kellogg.edu/category/news-releases.