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Caption: Mitchell’s Curriculum keynote speaker, R. Scott Ralls, Ph.D., president of the North Carolina Community College System
The 2013 Mitchell Community College graduation ceremonies begin Wednesday, May 8 with a Nurse Pinning Ceremony. Pam Spight, a 1988 graduate of Mitchell’s nursing program, will be the guest speaker. Spight is the Birth Place Program nurse and childbirth educator at Iredell Memorial Hospital and is an American Heart Association BLS instructor.
On Thursday, May 9, members of the GED (General Education Development) Class of 2013 will graduate. Students Avalon Bingamon, Keith Cerven, and Quinitta Davis will be guest speakers.
On Friday May 10, the Curriculum graduation will be held. Dr. R. Scott Ralls will be the keynote speaker. Dr. Ralls is the seventh president of the North Carolina Community College System. The North Carolina Community College System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the United States and is internationally recognized for its efforts to foster economic and workforce development. He was one of the original champions for early college high schools, and today, North Carolina hosts one-third of all early colleges in the U.S., the vast majority located on the campuses of community colleges. Dr. Ralls has championed workforce development and student success. He led efforts to gain the System’s first weighted funding for technical education; to link career-technical and science and technology pathways with public schools and universities; and to redesign customized training programs to enhance opportunities for existing employers.
All three ceremonies begin at 7 p.m. and will be held “under the tent” on the Circle on the main historic campus.
Also scheduled on Friday, May 10 are the two early college graduations. Students from the Visual and Performing Arts (VPAC) program will receive their high school diplomas at 2 p.m. at Mac Gray Auditorium at Statesville High School. Students from the Collaborative College for Technology and Leadership (CCTL) will receive their high school diplomas at 3 p.m. on the Circle at Mitchell. Early college students receiving degrees will also participate in the Curriculum graduation ceremony Friday evening.
All graduation programs are open to the public. For more information, call (704) 878-3200.
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