Schools

1,500 Students, 5,000 Guests Experience Camden County College Commencement

The Class of 2013 graduated under a giant tent Saturday at the Blackwood campus.

Camden County College held its 45th annual commencement ceremony Saturday under an 18,000-square-foot, event tent on its Blackwood, Gloucester Township campus. 

The event featured more than 1,500 students and over 5,000 family members and friends. The keynote speaker was Rutgers University–Camden Chancellor Wendell E. Pritchett.

Maegan Kyser, 24, a 2008 West Deptford High School graduate, was the student speaker. She is a Phi Theta Kappa and President’s List student who currently works for University of Pennsylvania Health System as a unit ambassador and aspires to be a nurse practitioner with her own television show.

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The Outstanding Alumnus Award was presented to F. Mitchell Newcomer, Class of 1974, whose work as lead systems designer with the CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, contributed to the discovery of the Higgs boson or “God particle” that is believed to be the origin of all mass in the universe.

An honorary degree was given to  Maxine R. Colm, who helped found Camden County College in 1967 and chaired the CCC Board of Trustees for its first 13 years. She still helps the Office of Foundation and Alumni Relations in its fundraising initiatives.

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Among this year’s graduates are:

  • A couple who had originally scheduled their wedding today, but wore graduation gowns and walking down the commencement aisle instead.
  • A student who received a $10,000 annual scholarship to continue her education at Moore College of Art & Design and who already has exhibited publicly and whose work will be featured on Spike TV’s Tattoo Rescue when it premieres this summer.
  • Veterans of the United States military, including one who is graduating with two associate degrees that he completed in just two semesters.
  • Oldest and youngest members of the class at ages 18 and 68.
  • Two sets of twins and a father and daughter.

The father and daughter, Michael and Elizabeth Ott, had a hard time deciding who was more proud of the other.

"I was very proud of her," said Michael, 50, of Westville, who passed an exam 10 years ago to certify himself as an electrical engineer, but wanted to get a formal degree, as well. "My excitement and her's made it an even more special event."

"It was really awesome to say that I got to graduate with my dad; it was really exciting," Elizabeth, 21, chimed in.


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