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Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC) will hold an in-person commencement ceremony for its graduates on Saturday, May 14 on the Christanna Campus in Alberta for the first time since 2019.

The commencement ceremony will be held outdoors beginning at 9:30 a.m. behind the new Student Services Center. Graduates and their families are invited to attend and tickets are not required.

SVCC will welcome former dual enrollment student and Halifax County native, Dr. Christopher J. Parker as the guest speaker for the ceremony. Since 2017, Dr. Parker has served as the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) president and chief executive officer. He is charged with leading all aspects of the NJCAA association and its more than 500 member colleges, while enhancing the opportunities for student-athletes and member institutions.

Dr. Parker currently serves on the National Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Board, the United States International Federation Board, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Governance & Nominations Committee, the United States Multi Sport Olympic and Paralympic Board, the Executive Committee of the Rural Community College Alliance, and Co-Board Member for USA Basketball. He is an active member and sits on councils within the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

Dr. Parker has served many leadership positions in higher education and not-for-profit management. He has coached Division I baseball, while also starting the first ever NJCAA athletic program in the Virginia Community College System. Dr. Parker also served Patrick and Henry Community College in a number of other capacities to include: Director of Student Life, Assistant Dean of Arts and Sciences, Dean of Academics, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Campus Life, and Athletics, Executive Director of the PHCC Foundation and Real Estate Foundation, as well as adjunct instructor.

For more information about SVCC’s commencement ceremony, visit southside.edu/graduation.