Oconee separates graduation from Oakwood

Watkinsville- Gainesville State College Oconee, starting this semester, will have a graduation ceremony separate from the Oakwood campus.

Senior leadership, as well as the president and vice president of GSC decided last spring that a ceremony unique to GSCO would be beneficial.

“It gives students the opportunity to celebrate being a part of this community,” said Margaret Venable, Vice President and CEO of the Oconee campus.

The number of students graduating from GSC is increasing, and requires larger venues to accommodate graduates and their families. In addition, only about half of graduating students from GSCO attend the ceremony in Oakwood.

According to Assistant Registrar Lisa Thompson and Oconee campus Assistant VP of Student Development and Enrollment Michelle Brown, last fall 209 out of 282 awarded students participated; this spring only 200 of the 389 awarded students participated.

There are also hopes of spreading the word about GSCO. Approximately 2,000 students attend GSCO, making it a relatively small school. Having a separate graduation ceremony is “one way for the community to see that we exist,” said Venable.

The GSCO ceremony is not going to be any less of a ceremony than that of the Oakwood campus. The president of GSC is going to preside over the GSCO ceremony, just as would be done at the Oakwood campus.

Venable explains, “We do not want students to feel as if this Oconee Campus ceremony is not as important as the Gainesville Campus ceremony or feel as if the Oconee County ceremony is not a true institutional ceremony.”

Students attending GSCO will now graduate from the school they attend and be able to “celebrate their experiences” in Watkinsville.

The first GSCO graduation ceremony is going to start at 3 p.m. on Dec. 11, 2010 at the Oconee County Civic Center in Watkinsville, GA.