After a two-year hiatus, the colleges of the Riverside Community College District will be celebrating graduation in person at each college’s commencement ceremony on their respective campuses.
In 2020 and 2021, the three colleges – Moreno Valley, Norco and Riverside City — cancelled the in-person ceremonies due to the COVID-19 pandemic, opting instead for virtual and drive-through ceremonies.
For 2022, the colleges’ ceremonies will be celebrated Friday, June 10. Moreno Valley College will hold ceremonies at College Park, adjacent to the campus, at 5:30 pm. Norco and Riverside City’s ceremonies begin at 6 pm. Norco College’s ceremony will take place at its sports complex. Meanwhile, Riverside City College will celebrate commencement in Wheelock Stadium. Each of the colleges is honoring their 2020, 2021 and 2022 graduates.
For the sixth consecutive year, Moreno Valley College’s graduating class surpassed the 1,000 mark with 1,648 students scheduled to receive either a degree or certificate. Of the 1,648 students, 1,167 will be awarded 2,309 degrees. Many students earn multiple degrees due to classes satisfying requirements in different degree programs. The remaining 481 students, making up the 2022 graduating class, will be awarded 690 state approved certificates.
Moreno Valley College had 312 students received Distinction honors (GPA of 3.3 or higher) and 189 earned Great Distinction (GPA of 3.7 or higher). And, for the third consecutive year, Middle College saw 100 percent of the program’s high school seniors graduate with at least one associate degree.
At Norco College, 1,296 students comprise its 2022 graduating class. The graduates will be awarded 2,399 associate degrees and 449 certificates. Thirty-five of the graduates are individuals who progressed as part of the institution’s Prison Education program at California Rehabilitation Center. Overall, the class had 52 students earn a 4.0 GPA, with 316 graduating with Distinction and 269 with Great Distinction honors. The class includes 27 Veterans and 38 John F. Kennedy Middle College High School graduates.
At Riverside City College, 3,413 students will be awarded a degree or certificate. The 3,413 marks the third largest class in the College’s history. This year’s class earned 5,597 degrees and 662 certificates – an increase of 2.8 percent in degree completion and 20.4 percent in certificates over the previous year. This year’s class, which includes a 16-year-old graduate, will honor 861 students earning Distinction and 409 reaching Great Distinction. Sixty-five Veterans completed their studies.
The District has temporarily suspended COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements for attendance at commencement. The decision aligns with the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) guidelines. The CDPH does not require proof of vaccination, nor a negative test, for outdoor events with less than 10,000 in attendance.
“We understand how special and important college graduation is to our students,” Wolde-Ab Isaac, chancellor of RCCD, said. “Mandating proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test would have adversely impacted families looking to celebrate their student’s accomplishment.”
All three colleges have invited the 2020 and 2021 classes to participate in this year’s in-person ceremonies.
The decision to suspend proof of vaccination or a negative result aligns with other higher education institutions in the area. Although testing is not required, testing will be made available during graduation week from 10 am to 5:30 pm at each campus. Testing will be solely voluntary, said Isaac.
“Graduation is the highlight of the education journey,” Isaac said. “And the journey has not been easy for the last three graduating classes. These graduates learned a number of lessons over the last three years, the biggest perhaps being how to make adjustments in order to stay the course. The pandemic has had a damaging effect on education in this country, but these students fought hard to stay enrolled to meet their dream of becoming college graduates.
“So, I and the Board of Trustees, our college administrators, faculty and professional staff are particularly proud of the graduating classes represented this year at the commencement ceremonies. My hope is that each graduate will realize what their accomplishment means to themselves, their families and their respective communities.”
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