Wayne Community to graduate largest class
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on May 13, 2009 1:46 PM
Wayne Community College will honor its largest graduating class in the school's history this weekend, with 511 curriculum graduates crossing the stage Friday evening.
Two ceremonies are planned, for college and high school programs, and nearly 800 diplomas are expected to be handed out, college officials announced.
The 511 candidates list tops the previous record, when 501 students graduated in 2006, said Tara Humphries, the school's public information officer. The latest figure breaks down to 371 associate degrees, 91 certificates and 49 diplomas.
The class also boasts an unusually large nursing class, she said, with 37 candidates for the associate degree in nursing this spring.
Plus, the school's first class of Emergency Preparedness Technology will be part of the festivities. Completely online, the program's four candidates will set foot on campus for the first time when they receive their diplomas, Ms. Humphries said.
The curriculum graduation is scheduled to be held outdoors on graduation field at 6 p.m. In the event of bad weather, however, it will be divided into two abbreviated ceremonies and moved indoors to Moffatt Auditorium.
The decision is expected to be made by mid-afternoon. If there are two ceremonies, the first will be for allied health, public services and applied technologies, starting at 6 p.m. Business and computer technologies, public safety and arts and sciences will follow, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Graduation speaker will be Dr. Steve Taylor, superintendent of Wayne County Public Schools and himself an alumnus of WCC in the college transfer program.
Basic skills graduation will be held on Saturday at 10 a.m. on the graduation field. In the event of rain, the ceremony will be moved to Moffatt Auditorium. There will also be an overflow room set up for guests to watch a video feed of the festivities.
Featured speaker will be adult high school program candidate Emily Torres, 32, a single mother of two who enrolled in the adult high school program in 2001.
There will be a total of 295 graduates, 90 from the adult high school program and 205 receiving a GED.