LEWISTON, Idaho – Lewis-Clark State College President Cynthia Pemberton will preside over her first graduation ceremony at the college, which will see a record number of bachelor’s degrees awarded during the ceremony, set for Friday, May 10, at 6 p.m. at the LCSC Activity Center.
School administrators are expected to hand out 653 bachelor’s degrees, an 8 percent increase from a year ago when the previous record was set with 604 bachelor’s degrees.
LCSC will have its second-largest graduating class with 893 scheduled to receive degrees or certificates. The all-time record was set a year ago with 946 graduates. Overall, LCSC will award 1,004 degrees and certificates.
“Through, and we believe because of a high quality, supportive education environment centered on individual students and experiential learning, we’re very proud to be helping more and more students to realize their potential and achieve their academic goals,” Pemberton said. “Thanks to the truly exceptional education experiences created and facilitated by our accomplished and innovative faculty, we know these graduates are equipped for successful futures.”
The ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. with the processional led by President Pemberton, Faculty Chair Jenni Light, Idaho State Board of Education member Don Soltman, and members of the LCSC administration. Graduating senior Walker Berry will sing the national anthem.
Special guests in attendance will include President’s Medallion recipient Marion Shinn. Shinn graduated from Lewiston Normal in 1940 and later began his career at LC in 1965 as the dean of Vocational Education. He also played a major role in forming the LCSC Alumni Association. He retired from the college in 1981. Each year, the LCSC Alumni Association honors an alumnus with the Marion Shinn Award for their long-term dedication and service to the college and community.
Following the awarding of the medallion to Shinn, LCSC administrators will honor retiring emeritus faculty members, which include Barbara Barnes, Diane Driskill, Brian Fonnesbeck, Clarence Griffin, and Joni Mina. Student awards for the highest cumulative GPA for four years of undergraduate work (Gertude Mellen Dick Award), for outstanding contributions to the college (President’s Award), and for the top LCSC-Coeur d’Alene graduate (Provost Award) will then be announced.
ASLCSC student body president Sam Weeks will offer greetings on behalf of the students, which will be followed by the awarding of the degrees and certificates. LCSC Alumni Association president Darcy Nelly will then introduce the singing of the college’s alma mater to welcome the graduates to the Alumni Association. The recessional will conclude the ceremony.
The event will be streamed live at https://livestream.com/lcsc. More information is available at www.lcsc.edu/graduation.
LCSC students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends are all invited to attend the Senior Send Off celebration immediately following the ceremony. It will be held on the north side of the Activity Center by Reid Centennial Hall.