LA PLATA, Md. - The College of Southern Maryland will celebrate its 48th spring commencement at its La Plata Campus May 24. Patricia Stanley, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education, will provide the commencement address.
Stanley has served as the deputy assistant secretary in the office of vocational and adult education since December 2006. Previously, she served as the sixth president and first female in that role at Frederick Community College, from 1998 to 2005. She has served as the executive vice-president of Cypress College and has held numerous administrative and supervisory positions in education including dean. She has worked as a consultant for the Association of Community College Trustees and as a career counselor for the American Association of Community Colleges. Stanley served on the executive board of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges for two years and was named Maryland's Post-Secondary Educator of the year in 2005 by the Maryland State Department of Education. Stanley holds a doctorate from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. where she majored in education curriculum and instruction.
More than 500 students are candidates for degrees and certificates representing 57 programs of study. Graduation activities include an Honor's Convocation at 6 p.m., May 23 on the front lawn of the Administration Building to recognize students with academic honors; and a nurses' recognition program at 2 p.m. in the Physical Education Center followed by a reception in the Center for Business and Industry, (BI) room 113.
The college's 48th Spring Commencement Ceremony will begin at 6 p.m., May 24 on the Administration Building front lawn with a reception to follow in BI, Room 113. The rain location is the Physical Education Center with the ceremony to be simulcast in the BI-113. For information, call 301-934-2251 Ext. 7508 or 310-870-3008, Ext. 7508, or visit http://www.csmd.edu/commencement/.