2011 Commencement set for Friday, May 13
Published or Revised May 12, 2011
PJC's annual commencement ceremony will once again be held at Noyes Stadium. Students need to arrive in the library at 7 p.m., Friday, May 13, to prepare for the processional, which will begin at 8 p.m. A reception for students and their families and friends following the ceremony will be held on the tennis courts adjacent to the stadium. Any decision concerning graduation with regards to the weather will be made by noon on Friday. Please check the website for official information. The Hunt Center will be the alternate location in case of severe weather. More than 700 candidates have applied for graduation. Commencement exercises begin at 8 p.m. in Noyes Stadium with the procession of College Regents, faculty members and candidates from the Mike Rheudasil Learning Center. The 2011 Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award will be presented to Joan Mathis, PJC English instructor. Mathis is one of only 10 college and university instructors to win this award for 2011, and only the second Paris Junior College instructor to gain this prestigious honor. The winner of the Distinguished Service Award, given for outstanding academic, campus and community accomplishments while attending PJC, will be announced The nominees are Jon Mark Abbey and Gloria Cooper, both of Paris. At the conclusion of the ceremonies, a reception will be held for all graduates, their family and friends. The location will be announced during the program. Other special ceremonies prior to commencement include the adult education GED graduation at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10, in the Hunt Physical Education Center; associate degree nursing pinning ceremony at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 12, at First Baptist Church; and vocational nursing pinning ceremony at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 12, at First Baptist Church. Surgical Technology and Medical Records Coding pinning ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 12, in room 1202 of the Bobby Walters Workforce Training Center. The Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology, a division of Paris Junior College, will hold graduation ceremonies at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 12, in the Ray Karrer Theater. The public is invited to attend any of these special events during graduation week at Paris Junior College. For further information, call 903-782-0247.