By Treg Campbell / Staff Writer

The 21st annual Pitt-Greensburg commencement ceremony will take place on April 25 at 11 a.m. on Ridilla Field, and if weather cooperates, it will be the fourth outdoor graduation in campus history.

Because graduation takes place before the final date for grades to be posted, students who participate in the ceremony will receive empty diploma covers.

“Students will receive their official diploma in the mail four to six weeks after the certification process is completed,” Sheila Confer, Academic Village coordinator and instructor of theatre arts, said.

The students who have earned honors will receive cords at the ceremony. The determination of honors was based upon grades at the end of the Fall 2008 semester.

With an outdoor commencement, students are able to invite up to six guests.

If weather or field conditions force the ceremony inside, an announcement will be placed on the campus Web site at least 24 hours before commencement.

“We need to determine whether or not we think it will rain. We need to consider the condition of the field and whether it is feasible to have the ceremony there,” Confer said.

The number of graduates invited to commencement outpace the number of those participating.

“There were about 280 students invited to this year’s commencement,” Confer said. “This number includes all August and December 2008 graduates as well as those graduating this month. At this time, there are 176 students planning to participate in the ceremony.”

The keynote speaker at the ceremony will be Michael D. Jones, chief operating officer of Public Broadcasting System (PBS).

Students participating in the ceremony may pre-order flowers and commemorative T-shirts. A link to the site can be found on the Pitt-Greensburg home page under the Graduation link.