Interim President Debbie Adams with graduate
Interim President Debbie Adams with graduate
Commencement speaker Randy Boyd
Chattanooga State’s 51st Commencement exercises were held at the McKenzie Arena on Monday. Thousands of friends, family, faculty, and staff were on hand to applaud this milestone in the graduate’s academic career.
Randy Boyd, former State of Tennessee Commissioner of Economic and Community Development addressed the 2017 graduating class. In 2012, Comm. Boyd served in the administration of Governor Bill Haslam as an unpaid advisor on education, where his work resulted in creating the Drive to 55 and the Tennessee Promise.
A total of 1,357 students graduated, earning a combined 1,471 degrees and certificates. Chattanooga State Interim President Debbie Adams conferred rights and privileges upon this year’s graduating class.
The Class of 2017 ranged in ages from 17- 71, with more than 45 percent over age 25, while 61 percent were women. A total of 503 students were awarded academic honors, up from 330 awarded in 2016. Fifty-seven percent of Chattanooga State’s first class of Tennessee Promise students have graduated or are still in school.
The top five College Division Programs with the highest number of graduates include Transfer Programs, 342; Tennessee Transfer Pathway, 204; Nursing, 116; Engineering Technology, 54; and Digital Media Design and Production, 44.
Among the top five College Technical Certificates, Emergency Medical Technicians, Dental Assisting, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians, Acting and Computer Aided Design (CAD), boast the greatest number of graduates. In the Embedded Certificate category, the top five programs include Early Childhood Education, Entrepreneurial, Advanced Process Technology, Process Technology, Volume Non-Destructive Testing, and Surface Non-Destructive Testing.
Hamilton County Collegiate High at Chattanooga State recognized class leaders Joy C. Baxendell, valedictorian and Heather Grace Marsh, salutatorian. A total of 46 graduates received their high school diploma with a number of college-credit classes under their belt, while 17 of these graduates also have earned enough credits to receive their associate degree.
Also recognized during commencement this year, were Faculty Fellows: Caitlin Moffitt, Jason Huddleston, Robin Hoiffecker, and Marie Loisy. Faculty and staff Excellence Award winners included Sandra Williford, Peter Kriener, Houston Graham, Judy Mabe, and Debra Jones.
Retiring faculty and staff for 2016-17 include: Kathryn Bissell, Rhonda Castleberry, Gwyn Chambers, Richard Claburn, Deborah Evans, Jerome Gober, Cliff Goodlet, Ole Hansen, Robert Hawfield, Johnny Jones, Denis Kiely, Virginia Kilgore, Glenda Madewell, Deborah Mailen, Ronald Martin, David McGlumphey, Blaine McGuffey, Linda Miller, Kathryn Patty, James Pierce, David Posey, Carolann Roberts, Linda Swafford, and Sandra Williford.