HCC to Graduate Largest Class in History this Month

Howard Community College announced Tuesday they will graduate over 1,200 students from a wide range of programs this month.

A total of 1,272 degrees or certificates will have been earned this year by students at HCC, according to the announcement.

"An increased number of students came to the college due to the economic decline and HCC did experience considerable growth as a result," said Nancy Gainer, a HCC spokesperson, in an email.

She said the college is also encouraging students to secure their degrees before transferring to a four-year college.

"More importantly, students are coming to HCC because they recognize that they can receive a quality education while saving thousands of dollars," said Gainer, in an email.

The large class trumps the 2011-2012 academic year, which had 1,081 students receiving degrees or certificates.

Approximately 400 students are expected to attend this years graduation at Merriweather Post Pavillion on May 21 at 2 p.m. The speaker is Daniel J. Schrider, president and cheif executive officer at Sandy Spring Bank, who is a former student of HCC before he transfered to the University of Maryland.

HCC is two-year community college funded by the state and Howard County.

Correction: The original version of this article incorrectly spelled the name of the CEO of Sandy Springs Bank, it has been corrected. We regret the error.