Delaware State University to host first December graduation ceremony

Delaware State University is gearing up for its very first December commencement ceremony this weekend.

Nearly 200 DSU students are eligible to take the graduation walk on Dec. 15 at Memorial Hall on the DSU campus in Dover. The university is expecting approximately 150 to participate.

The school decided to start hosting December commencement ceremonies due to the increasing number of students graduating.

“Our commencements have gotten bigger and bigger,” explained Carlos Holmes, director of news services for DSU. “We’re growing in enrollment and we’ve had three straight years of record enrollment here at Delaware State University so our graduation numbers are no doubt, going to go up.”

Additionally, Holmes said students had also been requesting a December graduation ceremony.

“We talked to our students who are approaching graduation, over a year ago actually, and we found out that for many of those who complete their studies in the summer or complete their studies in the fall semester, that they would prefer a December graduation,” said Holmes.

The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. with Rev. Ellis B. Louden, pastor of Mt. Zion AME Church in Dover, delivering the commencement speech; it is open to friends and family of DSU students.