1. Home
  2. News
  3. 2022
  4. MCC's 2022 commencement Thursday, May 19, at Cable Dahmer Arena; 2,100+ will graduate

MCC's 2022 commencement Thursday, May 19, at Cable Dahmer Arena; 2,100+ will graduate

May 11, 2022 | Tim Engle

Metropolitan Community College's Class of 2022 will be celebrated on Thursday, May 19, at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence. Doors open at 5 p.m., with the commencement ceremony starting at 7. (>>Student guide to MCC commencement)

Here's more about the event and the #MCCGrads2022:

  • 2,100-plus Wolves are candidates for graduation, and the most popular degree is the associate in arts transfer degree: 1,257 students are earning the A.A. Also: 472 students will receive an associate in applied science (A.A.S.). Among other credentials being awarded, 257 students will earn certificates.
  • Have you heard about the gender gap among U.S. college students? It's true at MCC, too: 64% of this year's grads are female.
  • About 930 students plan to "walk" at commencement. That number of participating grads is in line with what MCC had when commencement was at Municipal Auditorium downtown. This is the first year for MCC at Cable Dahmer Arena.
  • Speaking of Municipal, the last time MCC commencement was there was 2019. Then the pandemic struck in 2020, and MCC held a virtual ceremony. Last year the event was at Starlight. This year, the MCC ceremony is fully back to normal with a reception (and photo ops) for grads in Cable Dahmer's Community Ice rink starting at 5 p.m. That's also where students will line up for the processional into the main arena.
  • Cable Dahmer is at capacity for MCC's event: It will hold about 4,500 (not counting grads and faculty on the floor), and those seats are all spoken for. Grads got four guest tickets each but could request up to four more.
  • As has become tradition, MCC commencement will also be livestreamed. That evening, find the link at mcckc.edu.
  • Most grads will have a slide (with their name, degree, photo and quote or other statement) displayed on screens in the arena before and after the ceremony. MCC first did student slides at the 2020 virtual ceremony (but not last year). And like in 2021, most grads' names will be read by professional announcers (pre-recorded, with pronunciation instructions provided by the students). Grad names and degrees will also appear at the bottom of the live-video screens as students cross the stage.
  • This year's featured speaker will be Esther George, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. The student speaker will be Jessica Lowe, a graduating student from MCC-Maple Woods.
  • The recipient of the second annual MCC Foundation Distinguished Alumni Award will be announced at the ceremony.
  • MCC Chancellor Kimberly Beatty will be presiding at the ceremony, with MCC Trustee Jermaine Reed acting as master of ceremonies.
  • The MCC Foundation will make an appeal for guests to consider supporting future MCC students with a GIVE22 donation (as in the Class of 2022). Whether it's $22, $222 or $2,022, donations will advance the Foundation's mission of increasing student access to educational opportunities and funding improvements to programs and learning spaces. Make a gift of any amount at mcckc.edu/give.

Recent Articles