Nathan Ault
Published: April 27, 2005
On May 4, the Pensacola Civic Center will be the setting for the largest graduation ceremony in PJC history.
The ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. and will last around three hours.
Because of renovations to the Lou Ross Gymnasium and the need for more room, the college decided to change the location of this year’s graduation to the Civic Center.
In the past, PJC has held separate ceremonies in the gymnasium for those students graduating with A.S., A.A., and Adult High School degrees.
Previous graduation ceremonies were held at the gymnasium, where there was no room to hold all three ceremonies at once.
There are 1,400 prospective graduates, and an estimated overall attendance of 4,500 to 6,000, Peter Wilkin, director of student life, said.
The PJC Wind Ensemble as well as both the UWF and PJC color guards will be performing. Big screen televisions have been added to give everyone a better view of the stage.
Allen Peterson of the Visual Aids department will be the Grand Marshall of this year’s event and former PJC student Kim Jarnigan will be the keynote speaker.
College officials are excited about this change.
Dean of Student Affairs Joan Ziel said, “[Graduation] is a face to our community; and faculty and staff are thrilled about the ceremony accommodations.”