News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2019-05-28-graduation
May 28, 2019

2019 Graduating Class is Largest Ever

With a more than 10 percent increase in the number of students receiving degrees compared to last year, College of the Canyons will honor its 2019 graduating class – the largest in college history — during its 50th annual commencement ceremony. The event will begin promptly at 8 a.m. Friday, May 31, in the Honor Grove at the Valencia campus.

“We are so proud to celebrate the accomplishments and hard work of the College of the Canyons class of 2019,” Chancellor Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook said. “They accepted no excuses and are a shining example of what can happen when focus and a commitment to never giving up prevails. I have no doubt that our students will go on to do important things in life. I stand in awe of the stories they will create. This is only the beginning of their journeys.”

The class of 2019 has 2,467 students who petitioned for graduation, representing a 10.5 percent increase from the class of 2018 (2,232).

This class represents 120 majors, with liberal arts and sciences (839) ranking as the leading field of study among graduates, followed by psychology (273), business (254), accounting (201), math and science (174), sociology (167) and communication studies (133).

There are also 817 students graduating with two or more degrees.

The class of 2019 is approximately 57.9 percent female (1,429) and 42.1 percent male (1,038).

Academically, 725 students will graduate with honors, which requires a 3.5 GPA or higher, and 76 students will graduate with perfect 4.0 GPAs, which grants them the status of valedictorians. The average grade point average for the class is 3.19.

This year’s graduating class is also the first to include 105 First-Year Promise students from the first 262-student cohort. Launched in fall 2017, the program offers full-time freshman students waived tuition and fees during their first year of study.

The scene of many graduations and other college ceremonies and events, the Honor Grove is located in the center of the Valencia campus and will be outfitted with a stage for the presentation of diplomas and certificates, as well as seating for the graduates and their families and friends.

Community members attending the ceremony should plan to arrive no later than 7:45 a.m., as parking lots are expected to be congested and guest seating limited.

2019 Facts

Age
Average age is 24. The oldest is 65, and the youngest (42 of them) are 17.

Veterans
The class includes 68 veteran graduates.

MESA
77 graduates from the Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) program represent the largest graduating cohort in MESA history.

Canyon Country
69.3 percent of graduates have completed at least one course at the Canyon Country campus.

Athletes
The class includes 77 student-athletes with a combined GPA of 3.3.

Transfers
Graduates are transferring to institutions such as: Arkansas State University, Cal Lutheran, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Pomona, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, CSU Channel Islands, CSU East Bay, CSU Fullerton, CSU Long Beach, CSU Los Angeles, CSU Northridge, CSU San Jose, CSU San Francisco, CSU Sonoma, CSUSD- SDSU, Fisher College, Florida Atlantic University, Henderson State, Holy Names University, Indiana State University, Kaiser University, Lubbock Christian University, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Mississippi Valley State University, Missouri State, Ottawa University, Portland State University, South Dakota State, Texas Tech University, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UCLA, University of Arkansas, University of Maine, University of Michigan, University of San Diego, University of South Alabama, USC, Vanderbilt University, Presentation College, Missouri Valley, and South Alabama.