First Ever NOVA Winter Commencement, Dec. 14!

The College’s Commencement Committee, chaired by Dr. Syedur Rahman, interim vice president for enrollment management and student success, is busy making plans for the inaugural NOVA Winter Commencement to be held at the Schlesinger Center at the Alexandria Campus on Dec. 14!

There will be three commencement ceremonies over the course of the day on Tuesday, Dec. 14: 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. The ceremonies will likely be divided alphabetically by the graduates’ last names to secure an approximately equal number of participants for each event. The need for three ceremonies is being driven by the size of the Schlesinger Center and the potential number of graduates. We need space not only for our graduates but also for their family and guests (up to two each), participating faculty/staff and our platform party.

College Senate Chair Aldous McCrory recently reached out to faculty to encourage their participation. If you have not already responded, please let Aldous know which exercise you would like to attend by completing this survey.  We hope that you will consider attending all three, but if you are not able to, please try to support our students by attending at least one. It means so much to our students to share this day with faculty and staff who helped them achieve their dream.

NOTE:  The survey is anonymous to address any concerns about accountability. However, we do ask that you make every effort to attend at the time selected. Thank you for your time and consideration of the Committee’s request.

As for the commencement speakers, we recognize that some of the best can be “home grown.” Accordingly, if you wish to recommend one of our NOVA faculty members–someone who is also a NOVA graduate–who could offer a particularly inspirational “Been there, Go Boldly” message (Go Boldly being this year’s commencement theme), please let Dana Kauffman, know by Noon on Wednesday, Sept. 29. He will be working with the committee and others to recommend three speakers; one for each exercise.

Finally, please be on the lookout for further communications regarding opportunities to attend or serve as a volunteer or faculty marshal at one or all the ceremonies.

Submitted by:
Dana Kauffman, Director of Govt. Relations, TKauffman@nvcc.edu