CHESTER and MIDLOTHIAN, Va. – John Tyler Community College will hold its 45th annual commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. The ceremony will take place at the College’s Chester Campus, located at 13101 Jefferson Davis Highway. The graduating class will be approximately 948 strong.
The commencement address will be delivered by Dr. Marshall W. Smith, who will be retiring August 1, 2013 after serving nearly 23 years as John Tyler Community College’s president. Dr. Smith became the sixth president of John Tyler Community College in September of 1990, and in the time since, has become the College’s longest serving president. Under Dr. Smith’s leadership, the College built a second campus; added a Nursing Education Center; nearly doubled in enrollment; became the first Virginia community college to construct an environmentally friendly building that received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification; and expanded its offerings and partnerships. Dr. Smith is active in accreditation work for the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, chairing the Virginia delegation to the Commission for three years, serving on the Executive Council of the Commission for three years, and chairing over thirty reaffirmation and special committees. He also served twelve years as secretary/treasurer and one year as president of the Southern Association of Community, Junior, and Technical Colleges. Before beginning his career at John Tyler Community College, Dr. Smith was vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at the Virginia Community College System; president of Germanna Community College; and dean of instruction and then dean of the college at Calhoun State Community College in Alabama. He also served as dean of students and assistant professor of education at South Georgia College; director of residence halls at The University of Alabama; and assistant director of housing at West Georgia College. In addition, he has been an adjunct member of the graduate faculty of Old Dominion University and George Mason University. He holds a B.A. from The University of Alabama, a M.Ed. from West Georgia College, and a Ph.D. from The University of Alabama.
John Tyler Community College is a two-year, public institution of higher education and is the fifth largest of the 23 community colleges in Virginia. With campuses in Chester and Midlothian and off-campus classrooms throughout the area, John Tyler offers quality and economical opportunities for students who want to earn a degree or certificate, transfer to a four-year college or university, train for the workforce, or switch careers. The College, which served more than 14,895 students during the 2011-12 academic year, offers 18 associate degrees, eight certificates, and 35 career studies certificates. The institution also serves 15,000 non-credit students and more than 1,000 companies and government agencies annually through the Community College Workforce Alliance. The College also is committed to sustainability. In July 2010, it received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification for Hamel Hall on its Midlothian Campus, becoming the first in the Virginia Community College System to receive such recognition. John Tyler Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.