For Immediate Release:
May 11, 2022
Primary Media Contact:
Sally Voth
Public Relations Specialist
[email protected]
Phone: 540-868-7134
Laurel Ridge’s Class of 2022 will celebrate commencement this weekend. It comes 50 years after the college’s first commencement in 1972.
This year’s commencement marks the first return to in-person ceremonies since 2019. There were virtual graduations in 2020 and 2021, with last year adding a popular diploma walk. And, this year, commencement is taking place outdoors on the Middletown Campus for the first time in more than a decade.
There are nearly 1,000 members of the Class of 2022. By jurisdiction, they include:
• Clarke County –40
• Fauquier County – 166
• Frederick County – 228
• Page County – 37
• Rappahannock County – 17
• Shenandoah County – 106
• Warren County – 87
• City of Winchester – 114
To make the event more manageable, a commencement ceremony dedicated to graduates in the health professions is being held at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 13, with the other graduates having their ceremony at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 14.
Included among this year’s graduates are 314 dual-enrollment students – those students who were enrolled in Laurel Ridge while still in high school. Of those, 241 are Governor’s Scholars who have earned either an associate degree or a certificate in general education. The remaining 73 are receiving career studies certificates.
There will be various celebrations focusing on different groups of graduates throughout the week, including a dual-enrollment ceremony on Thursday, May 12, and a TRIO graduation dinner and reception, also on Thursday. The TRIO program provides wraparound services for students who are first-generation college students, low-income or have a disability.
Following Friday’s commencement for health professions graduates, there will be pinning ceremonies for students graduating from the registered nursing, surgical technology and medical laboratory technology programs.
For more commencement information, visit laurelridge.edu/commencement.
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Founded in 1970, Laurel Ridge Community College is a multi-campus public institution of higher education. With three locations — Middletown, Warrenton, and Luray-Page County — the College serves eight localities in the Shenandoah Valley and northern Piedmont regions. The localities are the counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Warren and the city of Winchester. Laurel Ridge offers more than 75 associate degree and certificate programs in a wide variety of disciplines, in addition to providing access to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs offered on site by a four-year institution. Laurel Ridge also serves the business community by offering workforce preparation programs for employees and employers. Laurel Ridge serves more than 9,000 unduplicated credit students and more than 11,000 individuals in professional development and business and industry courses annually.
Laurel Ridge Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees. Laurel Ridge Community College also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Laurel Ridge Community College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
Laurel Ridge Community College is an equal opportunity institution providing educational and employment opportunities, programs, services, and activities. Laurel Ridge shall promote and maintain equal employment and educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions including lactation, age (except when age is a bona fide occupational qualification), status as a veteran, national origin, or other non-merit factors. Laurel Ridge also prohibits sexual misconduct including sexual violence or harassment. Inquiries may be directed to the Associate Vice President, Human Resources, [email protected], 173 Skirmisher Lane, Middletown, VA 22645, 540-868-7226.
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.
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