State Board member to speak at VGCC Graduation
Dr. Tom Houlihan of Oxford, a member of the State Board of Community Colleges, will be the principal commencement speaker for Vance-Granville Community College’s graduation exercises on Friday, May 10. Felicia Sanders-Gupton of Warrenton, a College Transfer student and president of the VGCC Student Government Association, will be the student speaker. Almost 500 students are scheduled to receive their degrees and diplomas in curriculum programs during ceremonies beginning at 6 p.m. at the gazebo by the lake on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. For those unable to attend the event in person, VGCC will broadcast a live video feed from the ceremony online at vgcc.springerstudios.net ( click here to watch ).
Since 2007, Houlihan (pictured above, left) has served on the board that governs the 58-institution North Carolina Community College System , which celebrates its 50th anniversary this month, and he currently chairs the board’s Strategic Planning Committee. He is also the President/CEO of his own firm specializing in organizational improvement and leadership in education. During a career in education spanning more than 40 years, Houlihan has served as a teacher, principal, and superintendent of Granville County Schools from 1985 to 1990. During that time, he was named North Carolina’s Superintendent of the Year and was one of four finalists for National Superintendent of the Year. Following his service in Granville County, Houlihan was president/CEO of the North Carolina Partnership for Excellence and senior education advisor to Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. He was the first educator in North Carolina history to hold cabinet-level status in a governor’s administration. Houlihan also spent many years in Washington, DC, working on education issues with members of Congress and the White House. Prior to his State Board service, he was a member of the VGCC Board of Trustees. A native of Indiana, Houlihan graduated from Indiana University with a B.S. in History and Psychology. He later earned a Master’s in Education from N.C. State University and a doctorate in education from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Felicia Sanders-Gupton (pictured above, right) is graduating with an Associate in Arts degree . Sanders-Gupton has been the recipient of an endowed academic scholarship from VGCC, and she has been active on campus as a student leader. She was an Orientation Specialist for two years, vice-president and co-founder of the Social Sciences Club, a member of the Spanish Club, a representative in the Student Government Association in 2011-2012 and finally SGA president in 2012-2013. As president, she has served as the student member of the VGCC Board of Trustees. Upon her graduation, Sanders-Gupton plans to transfer to North Carolina Central University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Social Work, followed by graduate school and a career working with children.
Students serving as graduation marshals will be Elizabeth Davis of Butner, Leslie Foster of Castalia, Tracey Carson-Johnson of Creedmoor, Kristin Martin of Franklinton, Sheila Alston of Louisburg, Sandra Graham of Oxford, Cathie Ledwell of Wake Forest, Sandra Bowyer of Wendell, and Tammy Evans of Youngsville.
Above: Marshals include, on top row from left, Sandra Graham, Sheila Alston, and Tracey Carson-Johnson; on middle row, from left, Tammy Evans, Leslie Foster, and Cathie Ledwell; on bottom row from left, Sandra Bowyer, Kristin Martin, and Elizabeth Davis.
