Augustana College welcomes back class of 2020 for commencement ceremony Sunday's ceremony was the first time the graduates had been together since leaving campus in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Author: Josh Lamberty (WQAD) Updated: 10:17 PM CDT May 23, 2021 MOLINE, Ill. — After a year of staying apart, a class reunion was long overdue. "I think a lot of people put this pretty high on the priority list," said Josh Malone. Malone is one of the 2020 graduates from Augustana College who returned to the Quad Cities for commencement at the TaxSlayer Center. However, it was one year later than he planned. "Coming back here in May now is a very cathartic experience, sort of being able to come back and see everybody and has sorta been the closure that a lot of us, me in particular, needed in 2020," Malone said.