MONROE, Mich. – Monroe County Community College graduates will be recognized during the 50th Annual Commencement Ceremony on Friday, April 28 at 7 p.m. in the Gerald Welch Health Education Building, located at 1555 S. Raisinville Rd.
Student addresses will be made by graduation candidates Clayton W. Blackwell and Jennifer E. Cline.
Cheryl A. Johnston, assistant professor of reading and English, has been awarded the position of honorary grand marshal for the ceremony. This traditional honor is peer-awarded and bestowed upon a full-time faculty member who is held in high academic and personal esteem for his or her contributions to the institution. Johnson is retiring effective May 4 after 34 years of service.
Other ceremony officials will include Nicholas Prush, director of respiratory therapy, as faculty marshal; Dr. Randell Daniels, vice president of student and information systems, as student marshal, and Dr. Grace Yackee, vice president of instruction, as platform party marshal and mistress of ceremonies.
At the ceremony, the 2017 Alumnus of the Year Award will be presented to local business owner and 1971 graduate William J. Bacarella, who served as an elected trustee of MCCC – including terms as chair – from 1978-2015, making him the longest-serving trustee in the history of the college. The MCCC Board of Trustees established the Alumnus of the Year Award in 1996 to recognize and honor outstanding alumni who have made significant contributions to their career, community and the college.
Degrees will be conferred by MCCC President Dr. Kojo A. Quartey as the candidates are presented by Yackee.
The Agora Chorale, conducted by Catherine Brodie and accompanied by Alyce Sangster, will perform “I Believe I can Fly,” arranged by Mac Huff. The College/Community Symphony Band, conducted by Mark Felder, will open the ceremony with Edward Elgar’s “Fanfare and Processional” (also known as “Pomp and Circumstance”) and conclude the program with “Fanfare and Recessional” by James Ployhar.
MCCC’s Board of Trustees includes: Chair Lynette Dowler, Vice Chair Mary Kay Thayer, Secretary Aaron N. Mason, and trustees William T. Bruck, Dr. James E. DeVries, Steven Hill, and Marjorie A. Kreps.
About Monroe County Community College
Founded in 1964, Monroe County Community College is a public, two-year institution supported by tax monies from Monroe County, educational funds from the State of Michigan and student tuition.
The college’s mission is to enrich and transform lives by providing opportunities and excellence in higher education. The Main Campus is located at 1555 South Raisinville Road, Monroe, Mich., 48161, with easy access to Toledo and Detroit. The Whitman Center is located at 7777 Lewis Ave.,Temperance, Mich., 48182, near the Ohio-Michigan Border. Detailed information about MCCC is available at www.monroeccc.edu.