50 Years in the Making: LBCC Holds 50th Commencement

Linn-Benton Community College held its first graduation ceremony 50 years ago, on June 12, 1969 at 8:30 p.m. at the United First Methodist Church in Albany.

Thirty-seven students graduated with degrees and certificates in nurse’s aides and orderlies, bookkeeping, secretarial, and welding – the only programs offered at the time.

This year, LBCC will hold its 50th Commencement ceremony. On Monday, June 18 at 7 p.m. at the Linn County Fair and Expo Center, 833 students will graduate, earning 1,002 career technical degrees, certificates and transfer degrees from more than 60 programs of study.

LBCC graduates become an integral part of our community – serving as nurses, nursing assistants, dental assistants, x-ray technicians, pharmacy technicians, occupational therapy assistants and veterinary assistants, culinary chefs, educators, automotive repair technicians, welders, engineers, computer scientists, NASA space explorers, machinists, horticulturists, agriculturists, business managers, accountants and more. Skills they mastered from dedicated instructors and staff at LBCC.

What was true in 1967 still holds true today: LBCC started as, and will continue to be, a place where everyone can “engage in an education that enables all of us to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from the cultural richness and economic vitality of our communities.”

Photo caption:
LBCC Commencement, 1979