President Barack Obama delivered remarks before an excited audience of students and employees and highlighted the role community colleges play in part­nering with businesses to provide innovative solutions to address the country's energy concerns. Community colleges are becoming more and more important as we look for alternative energy sources to increase this country's energy efficiency and decrease dependence on foreign oil. President Obama praised the significant contributions of community colleges by pointing out that the skills students gain will create a path to suc­cess in this economy. In addition, the president praised the TeamBuilders Academy for helping unemployed county residents get the training, guidance, and assistance necessary to establish a career and community colleges in general for their ability to serve diverse populations. To view photos from the president's visit, click here.

Gary Proctor was unaware that Prince George's Community College had a police academy program until he started to research training for a career in law enforcement. He spoke with several officers who attended the academy and had positive experiences before deciding to enroll. Proctor attended the academy five days a week for six months, while working and playing piano at various churches in the area on weekends. Proctor attended the Duke Ellington Academy in Washington, DC, and worked as a professional musician, before pursuing a career in law enforcement. He paid his own way through the Prince George's Community College Municipal Police Academy and upon graduation had offers from the Laurel City Police Department as well as the Prince George's County Sheriff's Department. He accepted a position with the Sheriff's office and continues to work at the academy as a volunteer mentor. Proctor is also working to complete his associate degree in Criminal Justice.  

Danette Howard, Interim Secretary of Education of the Maryland Higher Education Commission, will be the keynote speaker at The 53nd Commencement Exercises of Prince George's Community College. Howard has spent her career addressing issues affecting completion rates in higher education, particularly at historically black institutions. She served as assistant director of Higher Education Policy at the Education Trust in Washington, DC, where she led the research efforts of the higher education division and was an original architect of the Access to Success Initiative. Commencement exercises will be held on Thursday, May 24 at 7 p.m. at The Show Place Arena and Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD. More than 1,100 students will receive associate of arts, associate of science, associate of applied science, and associate of arts in teaching degrees as well as certificates and letters of recognition. 

At Literally Speaking, Prince George's Community College alumna and author Y.B. Gray shared excerpts from her book, Finding Peace Discovering Joy, A Guide to Living Happily Every Day. She provided tips for relieving stress while pursuing career and financial success, as well as tackling life's challenges and maneuvering through everyday obstacles. Gray talked about ways to discover opportunities for joy and peace by creating balance in personal and professional relationships. Literally Speaking is sponsored by the Prince George's Community College Alumni Association and designed to increase the contemporary literature, poetry, and prose audience.