Thirty-four OSU Institute of Technology Nursing graduates will receive pins at the spring nursing pinning ceremony Tuesday, April 20, at 10 a.m. in Covelle Hall on the OSUIT campus. The pinning ceremony will precede the campus commencement at 2 p.m.

Of the 34 graduates, 26 have already accepted positions, with the others actively interviewing. Twenty-four will graduate with honors: 18 Cum Laude, three Magna Cum Laude and three Summa Cum Laude. In addition, this graduating class included five members of the honor society Phi Theta Kappa and the 2020 Newman Civic Fellow, Andrew Brestel.

“These graduates are exceptional!” said Jodi Campbell, director of Nursing. “They have stepped up to and mastered every challenge placed in their paths and emerged stronger for them. They are service-minded, natural collaborators, and I’m excited to see them elevate our profession.”

The pinning ceremony, or the act of receiving a pin, is one the oldest rituals in nursing programs. It dates back to Florence Nightingale, circa the 1860s, who rewarded her most outstanding graduates with a medal for excellence; it now symbolizes the successful completion of a nursing program.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony has been modified to deliver an event that holds the same traditions with the campus community's safety and well-being in mind.

The spring 2021 pinning ceremony will be held as a private function only with no guests; Covelle Hall will be closed to the public. Only graduating nursing students and the platform party will be permitted entry.

The ceremony, however, will be streamed live to the OSUIT Facebook page and made available for on-demand viewing on OState.TV and the OSUIT website so that friends and family may see their graduate being pinned and share in that moment.