Press Releases, Student Life

NCC to Hold Forty-Seventh Annual Commencement Ceremony

Dr. Trent Mohrbutter

Dr. Trent Mohrbutter

Nash Community College (NCC) is planning for record graduations in May. The College’s 2015 High School Equivalency ​Diploma commencement ceremony will be held Thursday, May 14, 2015 in the NCC Brown Auditorium. Dr. Trent Mohrbutter, Vice President for Instruction and Chief Academic Officer at Nash Community College, will deliver the keynote address.

Dr. Mohrbutter earned a Doctorate in Education from North Carolina State University and a Master’s degree in School Administration from East Carolina University. He graduated from the University of Victoria, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada with a Bachelor of Education degree. Dr. Mohrbutter is a graduate of Yale University’s Academy for Developmentally Centered Education. Prior to joining Nash Community College, he served throughout his career as counselor, coach, teacher, Assistant Principal and Principal at the middle school and high school levels.

A passionate and driven leader, Dr. Mohrbutter is committed to the success of Nash Community College students and to guiding instructional delivery to support students through graduation and as they continue their education or enter the workforce. A first generation college student, Dr. Mohrbutter enthusiastically encourages every student to begin their educational journey where they are, and take it as far as they can in pursuing their goals. His ongoing motivation and direction guide College employees in effective teaching strategies, engaging cross-disciplinary collaboration and achieving personal and professional growth.

Renee Batts

Renee Godwin Batts

Immediately following the Adult High School graduation ceremony, the College will recognize Associate Degree Nursing graduates during the Nurses Pinning ceremony. Twenty-three Associate Degree Nursing students will graduate. Renee Godwin Batts, RN, MSN, will be the speaker at the 2015 Associate Degree Nursing Pinning Ceremony. Batts serves as the Associate Director of Academic Programs with the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS). Prior to her current role, Batts was the Director of Nursing at Longleaf Neurological Treatment Center in Wilson, NC. She is also a former Nash Community College Nursing instructor.

Students, faculty and staff will celebrate Curriculum graduation Friday, May 15 with 534 students receiving 700 degrees, diplomas and certificates. Students will walk across the stage during the Forty-seventh graduation ceremony in the history of the College – a 10 percent increase in number of graduates from the previous year. Nash Community College currently is one of only a few community colleges in North Carolina experiencing growth.

Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone will be the keynote speaker at the College’s Forty-Seventh Annual Curriculum Commencement Ceremony. Sheriff Stone began his career in law enforcement with the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office at the age of eighteen. He was later certified as a Deputy and remained in that capacity until becoming a member of the North Carolina Highway Patrol assigned to Edgecombe County. Since then he has held positions as Basic School Physical Fitness Instructor; Line Sergeant, Onslow County; Assistant Commandant, North Carolina State Highway Patrol Basic School; First Sergeant, Office of Professional Standards Inspection Unit; District First Sergeant, Nash/Edgecombe Counties; Lieutenant, Executive Officer Troop C.

J. Keith Stone

Sheriff Keith Stone

Stone retired from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol in 2012 as a Captain, where he was assigned at the Training Academy as the School Director. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Pfeiffer University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration with honors from Mount Olive College and an Associate of Science degree in Law Enforcement Technology from Robeson Community College. Stone is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute Graduate Program in Louisville, Kentucky.

For those who cannot attend, online live video will be streamed for each ceremony via Youtube.com/user/NashComCollege. The videos will also be available online following the events. Graduation photos can be downloaded on the Alumni Association Facebook page at Facebook.com/NCCAlumni after the events.