ALBANY, GA – Albany Technical College graduation commencement celebrating the accomplishments of graduates for Fall 2021 will take place Thursday, December 2, 7:00 PM at the James H. Gray Civic Center. Candidates for Technical Certificates of Credit, Diplomas, Associate Degrees and High School Equivalencies will be recognized for their accomplishments. This notification comes as an official invitation to the graduates, families, friends and community to view the Fall 2021 Graduation Commencement of Albany Technical College. A video of the ceremony will be released on Albany Tech’s YouTube Channel and on Mediacom Channel 19 (ASU TV).
The Fall 2021 ATC commencement is scheduled to be rebroadcast as noted below:
- Cable Channel 19: Friday-Monday December 4-7, 2021, 1 pm and 9 pm.
*WASU-FM 92.7: Saturday, December 4th @ 11 am; Thursday, December 9th @ 12noon
*WASU-FM 92.7 is only streaming at the moment. No over the air transmissions until late December.
Graduates picked up caps and gowns at an event in November and had an opportunity to purchase class rings. “We are excited to announce that ATC has a total graduating class of 581 students with an overall sum of awards totaling 886 for the fall 2021 commencement. This includes Technical Certificate of Credit, Diploma, and/or Associate Degrees,” stated Kennosha Hawkins, Albany Technical College Registrar.
Dr. Anthony Parker, President of Albany Technical College said, “We are very proud of the accomplishments of these recent graduates. It takes hard work, but they can achieve their goals if they have made it this far. We know that our students will go into the community prepared with the best career education available.”
The Keynote speaker for the ceremony is Dr. Darrell Johnson, Executive Director, Salkehatchie Education Consortium.
Innovative. Progressive. Passionate. These three words capture the essence of an educational leader who believes in children. After serving 13 consecutive years as superintendent of Greenwood School District 50 and an additional year as Interim Superintendent of Orangeburg County School District, Dr. Darrell Johnson is currently Executive Director of the Salkehatchie Education Consortium. For nearly 35 years now, Dr. Johnson has pursued his passion to make a difference in the lives of children. He was born in Washington, D.C and raised by his grandmother, Rev. Everleen Johnson, in the projects in the small town of Clover, SC.
Dr. Johnson is a renowned motivational and educational speaker. While obtaining his teaching credentials in the mid-1980s, he worked as a school custodian, substitute teacher, HVAC assistant, nursing attendant, and newspaper reporter. After teaching English at the secondary level, Dr. Johnson served as an elementary and high school assistant principal, elementary principal and assistant superintendent. He earned three degrees from Winthrop University: Bachelors, Masters and Education Specialist. In 2004, he earned his doctorate in education at South Carolina State University.
During this time, he still found time to officiate NCAA Division I college basketball games. He officiated in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (27 years) Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (12 years) as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference, Southern Conference, Big South and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Dr. Johnson officiated 12 MEAC tourney championships and three first-round games in the NCAA Division I March Madness tournament.
What stands out most about Dr. Johnson is his energy, hard work, and dedication to the children, families, and the wider community he serves. As Superintendent, he helped develop the Greenwood Promise, a $5 million venture providing scholarship money to assist students with tuition support. He also initiated a BOWTIE program for at-risk students and has given more than $50,000 in scholarships to program graduates.
Dr. Johnson recently released “It Ain’t In The Book!”- a work that reveals how positive influence and rearing from a maternal grandmother coupled with his faith catapulted him past obstacles into a passionate leader. Dr. Johnson shares authentic life experiences via a mix of inspiring, encouraging and real-world events.
He has delivered keynote addresses in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Illinois. He also shared educational ideas with the New York City Public School system as well as Larne, Northern Ireland.
When it comes to learning life’s lessons for leadership, Dr. Johnson aspires to the idea that “It Ain’t In The Book."
ATC Graduation Statistics
- Total graduates for Spring 2021 commencement – 581
- Total awards to the graduates – 886 (TCC, Diploma and Degree)
- GED/High School Equivalency graduates – 36
- With Honors – 61
- Honors with Distinction (GPA 3.75-3.94) –30 (unduplicated)
- Presidential Scholars (3.95-4.0) – 8 (unduplicated)
- Dual Enrollment Total – 7
Note - ASU-TV 19 broadcasts throughout the Albany area and surrounding southwest Georgia counties on Mediacom channel 19 and on campus on College Cable on channel 7. The graduation will also be broadcast on WASU-FM 92.7 which is the local college radio station.