Baker College of Auburn Hills to honor graduates June 13

Baker College of Auburn Hills will acknowledge 581 graduates at the 2015 commencement ceremonies on Saturday, June 13, at the Apostolic Church, 3655 N. Squirrel Road, Auburn Hills. The first of two ceremonies begins at noon for graduates of the health sciences programs. A second ceremony, set for 4 p.m., is for graduates of the business administration, education, human services and technical programs, and of Baker College Center for Graduate Studies.

“While graduation signals the end of a course of study, the word commencement means beginning, and that is what the class of 2015 is doing,” said Peter W. Karsten, Ph.D., CPA, Baker College of Auburn Hills president. “The knowledge and skills that these graduates acquired at Baker College will help set them on meaningful and rewarding career paths as they begin the next chapter of their lives.”

This will be the first graduating class with students from the campus’ new physical therapist assistant program. The 12 students who will receive physical therapist assistant associate degrees will be qualified for an occupation that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated the average annual wage to be $54,330 in 2014.

At the noon commencement ceremony, the speaker is Patti Secord, of Waterford, a Baker College student who will earn an associate degree in vascular ultrasound technology (VAS). She will begin employment with Beaumont Hospital, Troy campus, following graduation. Secord has demonstrated leadership while at Baker College and has volunteered her time in support of the VAS Mentoring Program, teaching basic scanning skills to first-year students who wish to enter the VAS program. She is graduating with a 4.0 GPA.

Pamela Blackburn, of Royal Oak, will be honored as the outstanding student representing the Baker College of Auburn Hills health sciences programs. She will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in health services administration.

At the 4 p.m. commencement ceremony, the speaker is Wendy Roehl, of Clarkston, who will be graduating with a bachelor’s in elementary teacher preparation—social studies. She placed third in the competition for Michigan’s 2015 Student Teacher of the Year by the Michigan Association of Teacher Educators. Roehl is working full time as a substitute teacher at Andersonville Elementary School in the Clarkston Community Schools district. She graduated from Clarkston High School in 1983, is married and has two adult sons.

Students to be recognized as outstanding graduates for the following programs are:

· Business administration – Christina Wehrle, of Ortonville, associate degree in paralegal, and Cody Tousignant, of Washington, bachelor’s degree in business administration, accelerated program.

· Technology – Keith Carroll, of Clarkston, associate in digital media design, and Nicholas Pirog, Bloomfield Hills, bachelor’s in digital media design.

· Education – Pamela Flood, of Ortonville, bachelor’s in early childhood education.

Several Baker College employees will be graduating. Two administrative assistants will each receive a bachelor’s degree in business administration. They are Jervonta Knowles and Melvina Levier.

Two staff members will receive master’s degrees: Phasefanie Owens, career services coordinator, will earn an MBA in leadership; Michael Long, admissions advisor, will earn an MBA in management.

The largest private college in Michigan, Baker College is a not-for-profit higher education institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It serves more than 28,000 students on multiple campuses and online. Baker grants certificates and associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 150 programs across diverse academic fields, including business, health sciences, engineering, information technology, education and human services. An impressive 97 percent of available graduates are employed. Every Baker graduate receives Lifetime Employment Assistance—free and forever. Baker is a pioneer in online education and offers students the option of completing a degree 100 percent online, without ever visiting a campus. For information, visit www.baker.edu or follow Baker College on Twitter, @bakercollege, or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/bakercollege.