Milestones abound with Class of 2012

(DAYTONA BEACH, FL) May 15, 2012 - The Daytona State College Class of 2012 has put up a string of impressive numbers and is among the largest in the college’s history.

During the 2011-2012 academic year that began last August, 3,896 students have completed their academic programs and will be added to the ranks of Daytona State alumni during Monday’s commencement ceremonies. This includes those who completed their degrees and certificates during fall semester 2011, plus 1,940 spring semester graduates and another 418 who will be added by summer’s end.

“In the interest of time, and to accommodate our graduates, their families and well-wishers, Daytona State had two commencement exercises for college-credit graduates on Monday, May 14, as it did last year - one at 2 p.m. to honor associate of arts and bachelor’s degree candidates and one at 6:30 p.m. for associate of science and college credit certificate program graduates,” said Daytona State President Carol Eaton.

Monday’s commencement at the Ocean Center on the city’s beachside honored 341 bachelor’s degree recipients, bringing the total to 1,026 since Daytona State began offering four-year degrees in 2006. That first degree, the Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management, was offered in response to a statewide analysis, which revealed that Florida has a shortage of bachelor’s degree holders compared with other states. Since then, Daytona State has added five additional bachelor’s degree offerings in Education and another in Engineering Technology. Many of the college’s bachelor’s degree recipients are working parents or have responsibilities that prohibit them from commuting long distances to go to class.  Many went back to school to improve their chances of being promoted to higher positions. Some chose Daytona State to prepare for change in their careers. Others weighed the substantial cost savings they can realize by choosing a Daytona State bachelor’s degree over another institution’s.

This year, 1,649 graduated with honors, 344 with high honors and 86 were inducted into the international honor society Phi Theta Kappa, based on their leadership skills, scholarship and community service.

Thirteen Falcons this spring were named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges, and 14 students were inducted into the Daytona State College Hall of Fame, the highest honor that faculty can bestow upon a student.

Since its founding in 1957 as Florida’s first comprehensive community college, Daytona State has awarded nearly 131,000 degrees and certificates.

“Fifty-five years ago, Daytona State College began as a dream of Mrs. Mary Karl and a number of other great community leaders who had the vision and foresight to understand that education was the doorway to new opportunity and prosperity for our communities and the people who call Volusia and Flagler County home,” Eaton said. “Today, the college continues that mission, led, in particular, by the most dedicated faculty I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”

In addition to Monday’s college-credit commencements, Daytona State’s Adult Education Commencement Ceremony, which honors its adult high school and GED® graduates, takes place on Tuesday, May 15, at 6:30 p.m. in the L. Gale Lemerand Center on the Daytona Beach Campus, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd.

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The journey to student success at Daytona State College starts at many waypoints