Nearly 350 students have been invited to celebrate the completion of their degrees, diplomas and certificates from Northwest Technical College during the school’s commencement on Friday, May 6.
The ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. in Bemidji’s Sanford Center, located on First Avenue.
Commencement ceremonies at Northwest Technical College are free and open to the public; no tickets are required. Seating in the Sanford Center is general admission. There are approximately 1,000 parking spots at the Sanford Center available at no charge.
Guest seating
Doors to the Sanford Center will be open at 6 p.m. Commencement guests should enter the Sanford Center through Gate 2, through the main concourse. Handicapped or hearing-impaired guests are invited to enter through Gate 3. Only the lower bowl of the Sanford Center will be open for seating. Seating in Sections U, V and W and V will be reserved for handicapped and hearing-impaired visitors and their families. Concessions will be available in the concession stand behind Section U.
Commencement speakers
This year’s commencement address will be delivered by Bill Blackwell, Jr., executive director of Bemidji State University’s American Indian Resource Center. Blackwell, a BSU alum, has been the center’s director since June 2015. He earned his undergraduate degree in Indian studies at BSU in 2012 and a master’s degree in tribal administration and governance from University of Minnesota Duluth in 2014. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in education from Capella University.
Jay Cowles, a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees, will also provide remarks at commencement. He is president of Unity Avenue Associates, LLC, a family investment company in Minneapolis. Cowles was appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton in 2014 for a six-year term ending June 30, 2020.
Live Online Video
NTC’s commencement ceremony will again be available through a live online video stream. The stream will be available beginning at 7 p.m. Central time on Commencement day. Viewers are encouraged to visit the stream in advance to ensure that necessary plug-ins are present and properly functioning. More information on the web stream is available online.
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