PVCC Puma Press: April 2006

“We’ve been working on this for a year,” says Sue Isackson, PVCC Event Coordinator. “We started right after the last one. You do everything you can and then just pray it all comes together.”

Isackson is referring to this year’s May 12th PVCC commencement ceremony—the first one held on site since 1997. That year, reconstruction and westward expansion of the KSC building eliminated the large outdoor space previously used for graduation.

“From 1998 through 2005, the graduation ceremonies were either at Paradise Valley North or North Canyon High School, depending on which one was available,” says Dr. Mary Lou Mosley, PVCC’s dean of learning.

This year’s pomp and circumstance will take place in the newly paved area on the south side of the Center for Performing Arts. Luminarias will line the walkway to the center of campus and direct graduates and guests to a special reception both inside and outside the KSC student center.

Notable speakers include Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, PVCC President Dr. Mary Kay Kickels and Dr. Maria Harper-Marinik, MCCCD Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs. One graduating student, to be chosen from recently submitted speeches, will address the class.

Many arrangements have to be made for this special night, says Isackson. She selects a menu and coordinates with the caterers, chooses decorations as well as plans set-up of the ceremony and the reception, orders diplomas and presentation materials and works closely with the rest of the graduation committee and onsite staff. Their goal as a campus community is to insure an unforgettable evening for the more than 100 students who will be present to celebrate their achievements.