Graduating Frederick Community College students will walk across a stage at a different college campus this year.
In a Feb. 5 campus-wide email, FCC President Annessa Cheek announced that the 2004 Commencement had been moved off-campus. FCC will graduate at Mount St. Mary’s University at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 16.
According to the email, Cheek said the decision was made with input from the college’s commencement committee members, various campus leaders, and students.
“I did it in consultation with a lot of folks around campus,” Cheek said during an interview at her Annapolis office. “We have a commencement committee. We also have what is titled the President’s Cabinet, which is a group of 30 folks from around campus that consists of faculty, staff, and administrators. And we also talked to the executive committee of the Student Government Association.”
She and her team had been contemplating the location change for many months before the decision was made. According to Cheek the feedback she received since the news was released was nothing but supportive.
“For students, it’s not as apparent for them. It’s the employees that will probably notice the difference more than anyone else,” she said. “The feedback I received was more about logistics.”
Cheek said the initial spark of her thinking came from her experience at commencement last year, which also was her first commencement at the college at Jack B. Kussmaul Theatre. She said the theater couldn’t accommodate the students and faculty because of lack of space.
“It didn’t make me feel good,” she said, “It made me feel disconnected and separated.”
Because of the lack of space, the conversations began about moving commencement from the 1,950 -seat Athletics Center, with 409-seat overflow, to Mount St. Mary’s, which can accommodate 3,729 seats.
For Cheek the move was to make sure students and their families would have a great experience.
“I talked to other people who have graduated and how good they felt when they walked across the stage, knowing somebody in your team is cheering you on. Community is in our middle name, so bringing the community together and having that opportunity, that is the best day of the year.”
Cheek said she wants each student to enjoy their time at FCC and feel appreciated and loved during commencement.
“I don’t want them leaving with a bad taste in their mouths. I don’t want them to feel like it was something less than magnanimous. It is their three, four, five minutes of fame.”
