More than 1,200 to Receive Degrees and Certificates
County College of Morris (CCM) will be honoring the Class of 2021 with a creative and engaging commencement ceremony. Students will be provided with a virtual ceremony filled with inspiring messages from CCM’s President Anthony J. Iacono, a special keynote speaker, and academic deans and vice presidents. Join CCM, as the college celebrates more than 1,200 CCM graduates as they receive their degrees or certificates.
The commencement ceremony will premiere virtually to the public at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 21, on YouTube and the Class of 2021 website at www.ccm.edu/graduation/.
Along with providing high-quality, nationally ranked academic programs, CCM inspires its students toward a strong sense of citizenship and community engagement. This year’s keynote speaker, Richard T. Thigpen is Senior Vice President – Corporate Citizenship at PSEG and Chairman of the PSEG Foundation. He will share his insights and experience as a citizen activist both from his professional life and service to others. At PSEG, he is responsible for business areas that drive public policy through advocacy, charitable activities and corporate social responsibility. He also was a former assistant to the president of the NAACP State Conference for Public Affairs and currently serves on the boards of the New Jersey Climate Change Alliance, the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus Foundation and the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund.
The virtual commencement ceremony will be led by Faculty Grand Marshal Dr. Richard A. Gradone, Professor of Music. The Grand Marshal is a position of honor held by a senior faculty member who starts and concludes the ceremony. Also providing remarks will be Morris County Commissioner Stephen H. Shaw and a member of the college’s Board of Trustees. Serving as the speaker from the Class of 2021 will be Jenna Curran, president of the Student Government Association during Academic Year 2020-21. Curran was recently named a 2021 Phi Theta Kappa Coca-Cola Gold Scholar for her academic excellence. In addition, the 2021 Peace Prize (www.ccm.edu/peace-prize/) will be presented by Professor Laura Driver. The Peace Prize was established by CCM following the September 11, 2001 attacks to emphasize the importance of the pursuit of world peace.
To mark the Class of 2021 celebration, CCM has developed a lawn sign for students and family members, recognizing the accomplishments of graduates. The sign can be downloaded at www.ccm.edu/graduation/. On that site, graduates also are invited to post photos to a special virtual photo booth and to send videos about their CCM success stories.
