College Prepares for Inaugural EFSC Commencement Ceremony

About 2,000 students are eligible to take part in fall commencement at Eastern Florida State College on Dec. 19 in the first graduation ceremony for the newly-named institution.

The students will be eligible to walk across the stage at the King Center for the Performing Arts on the Melbourne campus during two ceremonies: The first will be at noon with graduates from the Titusville and Cocoa campuses, followed at 3:30 p.m. with students from the Melbourne and Palm Bay campuses.

Both ceremonies will be streamed live via webcast starting at noon on the college’s Website at easternflorida.edu.

Photos will also be posted on the college’s Facebook page and shared via its Twitter feed @efscTitans. Graduation participants and families are encouraged to post their photos through social media with the hashtag #efscgrad.

The Dec. 19 ceremonies mark the first commencement at Eastern Florida since the college changed its name July 1 to reflect its expanding mission to offer four-year Bachelor’s Degrees.

The 2,000 students eligible include almost 1,200 receiving degrees for the fall term and another 800 who received their degrees at the end of summer term in August when no ceremony was held.

The first two Bachelor Degrees were launched in August and another eight are scheduled to start in August 2014, pending approval from the Florida Department of Education.

The latest graduates will join 90,000 others who have graduated from the college since it began in 1960. It was previously known as Brevard Community College.

About 30,000 students take courses annually on the Titusville, Cocoa, Melbourne and Palm Bay campuses, and online through the college’s eLearning programs.

Eastern Florida is recognized as one of the leading state colleges in Florida and the United States, and ranks among the top graduation rates in the 28-member Florida College System.

The change to Eastern Florida State College reflects its commitment to offer graduates more opportunities for in-demand jobs, and provide local and regional businesses with the 21st century workforce they need to successfully compete in the global economy.

The college also continues to offer its traditional curriculum of more than 100 Associate Degrees and certificate programs, including several new A.S. degree programs starting this year and in 2014.

College leaders believe the new four-degrees will advance the institution’s role as a key asset in spurring economic growth, with Eastern Florida contributing nearly $1.1 billion annually into the Brevard and Central Florida economies.

The impact comes in the form of direct spending and the higher wages and advanced skills of its graduates, according to a study conducted earlier this year by the Florida College System.