Nearly 3,700 students will join the ranks of Daytona State College alumni during the college’s 59th commencement exercises on Monday, May 13, at the Ocean Center, 101 N. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach.
This year, commencement will take place in three parts according to credentials earned. Start times will begin earlier as well to alleviate traffic around the Ocean Center and allow more time for graduates to celebrate their accomplishments with family and friends:
- 9:30 a.m. – Associate of Science degrees, Certificate programs, Adult High School and GED
- 2 p.m. – Associate of Arts degrees
- 6:30 p.m. – Baccalaureate degrees
DSC’s commencement exercises will honor nearly 550 bachelor’s degree recipients. Among them are 295 graduates of Daytona State’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management degree, which the college began offering over a decade ago, and 125 graduates of the college’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing, which DSC launched in 2014. The college offers 11 baccalaureate degrees in business, nursing, education, engineering and information technology. It has conferred over 4,000 bachelor’s degrees since it transitioned in 2006 from a community college to a four-year-degree-granting state college.
Many of Daytona State’s baccalaureate recipients are working parents or have responsibilities that prohibit them from commuting long distances to go to class. Many went back to school to improve their chances of promotion to higher positions. Some chose Daytona State to prepare for change in their careers. Others weighed the substantial cost savings gained by choosing a bachelor’s degree from DSC.
The Class of 2019 also features over 1,700 associate of arts graduates. Many will continue their studies in a DSC baccalaureate degree program or smoothly transition as juniors to the University of Central Florida through DSC’s Direct Connect to UCF partnership, or to other universities.
Over 650 students will have earned their associate of science or associate of applied science degree, while another 750-plus will have taken the first step on their educational and career pathway by earning a certificate credential.
This year, over 2,200 are graduating with honors, including 556 with high honors, and 31 have been inducted into the international honor society Phi Theta Kappa, based on their leadership skills, scholarship and community service. An additional 7 graduates were inducted this year into Sigma Beta Delta, the highest international recognition a business student can receive at a college or university. Seventy-three Associate Degree Nursing graduates this year were inducted into the Alpha Delta Nu national honor society, and 19 students were inducted into the Kappa Delta Pi international honor society for education graduates. Fifteen students were inducted into the Daytona State College Hall of Fame, the highest honor that faculty can bestow upon a student.
The college also will graduate 284 student veterans during commencement.
And, 228 graduates are earning their associate of arts degree, associate of science or program certificate days before they receive their high school diploma through Daytona State’s popular dual enrollment program, which provides opportunity for high school students to earn college credits free of charge and get a head start on their college education.
Nearly 440 grads will have earned their adult high school diploma or GED as part of the Class of 2019.
Since its founding in 1957 as Florida’s first comprehensive community college, Daytona State has awarded over 100,000 degrees and certificates.
About Daytona State College
Offering more than 100 certificate, associate and bachelor’s degree programs, Daytona State College has responded to the education and workforce training needs of Volusia and Flagler counties and beyond for more than 60 years. The college enrolls nearly 28,000 students a year at its seven instructional sites, with graduates serving in critical fields including health care, emergency services, business, education, hospitality, engineering, technology and more.
Daytona State has been recognized as a leader in higher education numerous times, consistently by U.S. News & World Report, which ranks the college among the Top Tier Best Online Bachelor’s Programs seven years running. The U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center has ranked DSC among the top 50 most affordable public four-year institutions in the country, with less than half the tuition of the national average. Community College Week, a leading publication in higher education, annually continues to feature the college in its list of Top 100 Associate Degree Producers. And for three years in a row, U.S. News & World Report has ranked DSC among its Top Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans.
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