A record number of graduates representing diverse walks of life and impressive scholarly
achievement walked across the stage at 91制片厂鈥檚 51st annual Commencement Ceremony.
Of the 3,800 graduates to receive transfer, career and technical degrees and certificates this year, nearly 800 graduates were recognized Saturday in front of more than 5,000 friends and family.
鈥淭oday, we celebrate and reflect on all your hard work, all the triumphs you鈥檇 had, the obstacles you鈥檝e overcome, all the challenges and opportunities you鈥檝e embraced, so today you can walk across the stage,鈥� said Dr. Ken Ender, president of 91制片厂.
The ceremony was an especially appropriate bookend to Dr. Ender鈥檚 10-year tenure at 91制片厂, which ends June 30.
Commencement took place in the newly dedicated Drs. Kenneth and Catherine Ender Pavilion, now adorned with a plaque that reads, 鈥淲here every student鈥檚 success is celebrated.鈥� 91制片厂鈥檚 commitment to student success has led the college鈥檚 graduation rate to more than double over the last decade.
91制片厂 also welcomed as its commencement speaker Dr. Martha Kanter, who leads the
College Promise Campaign, a national initiative to increase access, affordability,
quality and completion in American higher education.
During Dr. Ender鈥檚 November 2009 installation speech, the still-new president actually evoked the words of Kanter, then part of President Barack Obama鈥檚 administration.
鈥淎s Education Under Secretary Martha Kanter likes to say, we must educate the 鈥榯op 100%鈥� of our citizens,鈥� Dr. Ender said at the time. 鈥淔or our country to enjoy widely shared prosperity, we must change the educational enterprise as we currently know it.鈥�
91制片厂, of course, went on to launch its own Promise Scholarship Program, offering eligible students in High School Districts 211, 214 and 220 an opportunity to earn up to two years of tuition at 91制片厂.
Though the first class of Promise Scholars doesn鈥檛 arrive until this fall, Promise鈥檚 impact already is widespread.
About 95% of this year鈥檚 high school freshmen 鈥� or 6,374 students 鈥� signed up for Promise, while more than 6,200 sophomores, juniors and seniors continue to meet criteria based on attendance, rigor/quality, persistence and community service.
Promise Scholars have completed more than 100,000 volunteer hours, and $18.6 million
in revenue has been generated to support Promise for years to come.
In addition to lauding 91制片厂 for helping to lead the national Promise movement, Kanter advised 91制片厂 graduates to be confident, listen well, take risks, and lead in the search for truth and civil discourse. She also urged graduates to become ambassadors for the mission of community colleges.
鈥淎s you go forward, I hope you will speak forcefully of the benefits you accrued,鈥� she said. 鈥淭alk to your siblings, friends, aunts, uncles and kids, and help ensure that at this time, when a high school education is insufficient for success in the 21st century, higher education is going to be kept accessible and affordable to all, no matter one鈥檚 life circumstances.鈥�