Lt. Gov. Perdue To Address 420 VGCC Spring Graduates

North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue will be the commencement speaker at Vance-Granville Community College’s Spring Graduation on Tuesday, May 13.

Approximately 420 graduates are scheduled to receive degrees, diplomas and certificates in outdoor ceremonies beginning at 6 p.m. at the gazebo on VGCC’s main campus in Vance County.

Lt. Gov. Perdue spent five terms in the North Carolina Senate, where she co-chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee, and two terms in the state House of Representatives prior to election to her present office in 2002.

As a legislator, she was consistently ranked one of the most effective members of the General Assembly. A former public school teacher and health care professional, she is credited with shepherding through the General Assembly such measures as the Excellent Schools Act and the Smart Start initiative for early childhood development.

In addition to education, Lt. Gov. Perdue has worked for, and continues to pursue, issues that affect the well being of senior citizens, effective law enforcement, clean air and water, and more effective government.

Lt. Gov. Perdue is chairperson of the Health and Wellness Trust Fund Corporation, which is working on a prescription drug plan, teen smoking prevention and cessation, and research, education and prevention programs. She serves on the State Board of Education, the State Board of Community Colleges and the Information Resource Management Commission, North Carolina’s leading technology agency.

The lieutenant governor holds a Ph.D. in administration. She and her husband, Bob Eaves, have four children.

VGCC President Robert A. Miller said, “We are delighted to have the second highest ranked elected official in our state address our graduates on May 13. We are particularly pleased to have Lieutenant Governor Perdue, who has a long and notable history of support for education in our state.”