BPCC's Fall 2012 graduation makes history | Arts & Culture

Bossier Parish Community College’s Fall 2012 graduation is set to be the largest fall graduation in the college’s 45-year history.

BPCC will hold two ceremonies for fall graduation on Friday, December 14, 2012:

• 9:30 am - divisions of Technology, Engineering and Mathematics AND Science, Nursing and Allied Health
• 2:30 pm – all other academic divisions

The graduation ceremonies will be held in BPCC’s Health & Physical Education Complex, 6220 E. Texas St., Bossier City, LA. The Fall 2012 graduation also:

• yields the first student to graduate with an associate of science in engineering
• includes the first group of LPN to RN transition students (6 out of the 30 nursing graduates in BPCC’s 2nd nursing graduating class). These transition students are those who have been licensed practical nurses and have chosen to advance their career by becoming RNs.

Credentials will be awarded to 326 graduates, making this fall’s graduation the largest fall graduation on record. Fall 2011 awarded 307 graduates with credentials.

“At the beginning of each recent semester, we have announced record enrollment. Today, we are proud to announce record completions," says BPCC Chancellor Jim Henderson.

In the 9:30 am ceremony, Jacquelyn French will receive BPCC’s first associate of science in engineering degree. French is excited to be receiving her degree and has been offered an internship with a Shreveport engineering firm. “I am weighing my options as whether to take the internship now or to transfer to Louisiana Tech University as a junior in industrial engineering,” says French.

French, a graduate of Captain Shreve High School, began her college career at La Tech; however, due to financial issues, she had to come back home. “As I drove past BPCC on my way back and forth to Tech, I remembered hearing about BPCC’s engineering program. So, I decided to check it out. I found out that I was only a few classes shy of receiving my associate’s degree.”

With a full load of classes this semester – two engineering courses: statics and circuits; one physics course; and one management course – French feels the difficulty level of these courses are the same as those at 4-year schools. “Even though BPCC is a two-year school, the courses challenge you just as much and sometimes even more than those at 4-year schools,” says French. “What I liked about the BPCC’s engineering program were the smaller classes. The smaller classes allow the professors to give you more one-on-one attention.”

During the graduation ceremonies, students will be awarded associate degrees, technical diplomas, certificates, and technical competency areas in each of BPCC’s academic divisions.

BPCC Paramedic program director Jeff Anderson will be the guest speaker for both commencement ceremonies.