Community College System leader addresses VGCC Graduates
Vance-Granville Community College’s 42nd commencement exercises happened to be held on Friday the 13th and rain clouds threatened overhead, but the weather held out as a speaker encouraged members of the graduating class to “no matter the weather, bring your own sunshine.” That advice was relayed by VGCC graduating student Lynwood Roberts, II of Oxford, who addressed over 400 graduates before they received diplomas and degrees in a variety of curriculum programs at the May 13 ceremony, held at the gazebo by the lake on the college’s main campus. Roberts, who graduated with an Associate in Science degree , said the credentials he and his classmates earned were “important, but it does not mean to stop pushing to do our best the day after graduation. We have to continue to gain knowledge so we will be ready when the opportunity comes.” Roberts is planning to transfer to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Saundra Wall Williams, Senior Vice President and Chief of Technology and Workforce Development for the North Carolina Community College System , was the featured commencement speaker. She encouraged graduates to remember what she called “the two P’s: your people and your path.” Williams told students to “surround yourself with people who can take you beyond your comfort zone, as your VGCC instructors surely did” and “to reach back to help and mentor those who want to get to where you are tonight.” As for the second “P,” Williams advised graduates to “stay on your path to learning. The best place to pursue lifelong learning is here at your community college. We will always be here when you need to retool, retrain or expand your horizons even more.”
In his remarks, Dr. Randy Parker, the president of VGCC, noted that especially in “troubled and challenging economic times,” the community college “is the gateway to future economic prosperity” for students and the region. He also took the opportunity to introduce the VGCC Mace, the first in the college’s 42-year history. As Parker explained, the mace evolved over centuries from a medieval weapon into a ceremonial object used by colleges and universities. Traditionally, the mace is carried as part of formal occasions, like commencement, by the leader of the faculty. Dr. Danny Monroe, instructor and head of the Bioprocess Technology program, carried the mace as chairman of the VGCC Professional Advisory Committee. “The college mace is a symbol of the leadership we provide to our four counties in education,” Parker said. The mace, designed by retired Dean of Students Frank Madigan and fashioned by Michael Lassiter of Bullock’s in Henderson, includes the VGCC seal and emblems representing Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties.
After Vice President of Instruction Dr. Angela Ballentine presented candidates for graduation, VGCC Board of Trustees chairman Donald C. Seifert, Sr. assisted President Parker in presenting degrees and diplomas. Students, including those predicted to graduate in August, were awarded 293 Associate in Applied Science degrees, 43 Associate in Arts degrees, five Associate in Science degrees, five Associate in General Education degrees and 94 technical and vocational diplomas. Roberts then led the new graduates in ceremonially turning their tassels. Music for the ceremony was provided by the Vance-Granville Community Band.
Above: From left, Dr. Saundra Wall Williams, Senior Vice President and Chief of Technology and Workforce Development for the North Carolina Community College System, delivers the commencement address at Vance-Granville Community College on May 13, as student speaker Lynwood Roberts, II of Oxford (seated) listens. (VGCC Photo)
