Commencement

Published or Revised December 13, 2024

Paris Junior College has a graduation ceremony in December and in May. Students who complete degree or certificate requirements in the previous summer semester or who anticipate completing requirements in the fall semester are encouraged to participate in the ceremony. The December ceremonies will be held in the Harold E. Hunt Physical Education Center on the Paris campus.

See dates and times of Commencement ceremonies on PJC's Academic Calendar.

Students who anticipate completing degree or certificate requirements in the spring or summer semester are encouraged to participate in the May ceremony. Fall graduates who do not attend the December ceremony can also participate. The May ceremony is held at Noyes Stadium located on the Paris campus. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the Harold E. Hunt Physical Education Center.

Fall 2024 Commencement Ceremony

Commencement is a festive, celebratory occasion, but also a formal academic event. The joy and satisfaction of the student’s accomplishments is more than worthy of being celebrated! However, these accomplishments should also be marked by seriousness where the actual conferring of degrees signifies the hard work of all involved: students, faculty, staff, administrators, and family.

It is with great honor that the Paris Junior College Board of Regents, Administration, faculty, and staff join with family and friends to celebrate our students' accomplishments. Please click on the buttons below to view commencement information and help us celebrate the Class of 2024.

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History of the College

Paris Junior College was established in June 1924 in response to the community’s need for an institution of higher learning.

The main campus of the college is located in Paris where the college began in September 1924 with 91 students.

In 1940, the campus was moved from downtown to its present tree-shaded site that includes over 20 major buildings and residence halls, providing a great atmosphere for learning.

Dr. J. R. McLemore was the first president of Paris Junior College, holding the office until retirement in 1961. Charles Clark replaced Dr. McLemore and held the office until 1963 when Frank Grimes became president. Louis B. Williams succeeded Grimes in 1967 and retired in 1983. Dennis Michaelis served as president from 1983 to 1988 when Bobby R. Walters was selected for the job. He retired in 2003 and was succeeded by Dr. Pamela Anglin, who served from that year to 2023. Dr. Jerry King served as interim president from January to May 2024, until current president, Dr. Stephen Michael Benson, took over the role.

PJC serves more than five counties in Northeast Texas and has centers in the cities of Greenville and Sulphur Springs to provide better access for all students.

PJC offers Associate of Arts, Associate of Arts in Teaching, Associate of Science, and Associate of Applied Science degrees, as well as Certificates of Completion in numerous technical and vocational fields to enhance career opportunities for students.

Watchmaking (horology) and jewelry was the first vocational program added to the college curriculum in 1942. The program has expanded through the years and the jewelry program is known today as the Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology. TIJT and the horology program attract students worldwide to study the art of jewelry making, gemology, and watchmaking.

Paris Junior College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees. Questions about the accreditation of Paris Junior College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SAC-SCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

PJC is also approved and accredited by the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Additionally, the allied health specialized programs are accredited by their affiliate associations. A complete list of affiliations for all programs can be found at www.parisjc.edu. The college also offers a comprehensive selection of continuing education courses and specialized training for area business and industry.

The Academic Procession

In colleges and universities, academic degrees are conferred at commencement exercises. Originally the term meant the inception of the student graduate as a teacher and his recognition as such by his master and other members of the profession. Thus, the term once marked an actual beginning.

The processional and recessional of students and faculty dressed in academic regalia is a traditional part of these commencement exercises. This history of academic dress goes back to the medieval universities. In the 12th and 13th centuries, when universities were taking form, they were under the jurisdiction of the church. Those studying wore a habit or cloak to which was attached a cowl or hood which could be pulled up over the head or thrown back, according to the weather conditions. Later, the gown served the dual purpose of providing warmth in the unheated halls as well as uniformity of dress.

The hood seems to have had three uses: a covering, a shoulder cape and a bag for collecting alms. It is believed that when large wings were worn, the cape part of the hood was cut open in front and the entire garment, cap and hood, proper, was allowed to fall back, producing approximately the effect seen today. After wings went out of fashion, the original shape was not restored. The master’s hood is longer than the bachelor’s and the doctor’s longer than the master’s.

Gowns commonly worn in the colleges and universities of this country have pointed sleeves for the bachelor’s degree, long closed sleeves (with a slit for the arm) for the master’s degree, and bell shaped open sleeves for the doctor’s degree. The master’s and bachelor’s gowns have no trimming. The gown for the doctor’s degree is faced down the front with black velvet with three bars of the same across the sleeves, or these facings and cross bars may be velvet of the color distinctive of the faculty or subject to which the degree pertains.

The cap, an essential part of academic dress, is to be retained on the head throughout all academic exercises except during prayer. In particular, the cap is not to be removed at any point in the conferment of the degree.

All hoods are lined with silk showing the official colors of the institution which conferred the degree, and all are trimmed in specified widths with velvet signifying the degree as follows: