LCSC set for another record-setting commencement

LEWISTON, Idaho – Finals are over, mortarboards are being decorated, the podium is in place, and Pomp and Circumstance is cued up for another record-setting graduation ceremony at Lewis-Clark State College. School administrators are expecting a record 851 graduates to receive a record 1,005 degrees at the commencement event to take place on Friday at 6 p.m. at the LCSC Activity Center. 
“We’ve been proud and excited to see three straight years of enrollment growth,” said LCSC President J. Anthony Fernandez, who has watched enrollment grow by 23 percent in ten years, “but we’re even prouder to have so many students graduating.” 
Friday’s expected totals far exceed last year’s all-time highs of 795 graduates and 914 degrees and will mark the third straight year, and the seventh time in the past nine years, that LCSC has set a record. The streak comes as the Idaho State Board of Education continues to emphasize the need for Idaho institutions to produce more graduates and as many schools are experiencing stagnant or even downward trends. 
The graduates will be joined on Friday by a number of special guests including President’s Medallion recipient Edmund O. Schweitzer, III, president and chairman of the board of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories; Emma Atchley, president of the Idaho State Board of Education; and political analyst and co-host of “The Five” Juan Williams, who will deliver the commencement address. Williams, who spoke at LCSC’s 1994 commencement, is an award-winning political commentator and columnist and a bestselling author, with many of his books focusing on the civil rights movement. 
"In today’s politically polarized world, LCSC students can benefit from Mr. Williams’ broad experience and unique perspective,” Fernandez said. 
Prior to the commencement ceremony, Williams will hold an open forum with LCSC students from 10-11 a.m. at Meriwether Lewis Hall, Room 100, as well as a book signing with copies of his newest books including “Muzzled: The Assault on Honest Debate” from 1-2 p.m. in the Williams Conference Center lobby. He also will be available for questions from the media at a news conference from 2-3 p.m. in the Student Union Building lounge. 
For more information about LCSC’s 2017 commencement ceremony visit: www.lcsc.edu/graduation. The event will be streamed live at: https://livestream.com/lcsc.