Breaking ground for the new Conrad G. Burrell Center at Southwestern Community College are, from left, Boyce Detiz, regional representative for Congressman Heath Shuler, Jackson County Interim Manager Chuck Wooten, Jackson County Commissioner Mark Jones, Representative Phil Haire, SCC Board of Trustee Pete Penland, SCC Interim President Janet Burnette, SCC Board of Trustee Jerry Sutton, SCC President Emeritus Cecil Groves, SCC Board of Trustee Vance Davidson, SCC Board of Trustee founding member Paul Holt and SCC Chairman of the Board Conrad Burrell.

The Wayne Proffitt Memorial Scholarship was awarded for its second year last Saturday, during the Future Farmers of America annual fundraising banquet at the Wayne Proffitt Agricultural Center on 441 South. Just over $5,000 was raised at the banquet.

The event not only honored two hard working Macon County students who received the Proffitt scholarship, but it also honored the man whom the scholarship was named after.

Recognizes and honors service of outgoing chancellor

Western Carolina University held a pair of commencement ceremonies at Ramsey Regional Activity Center on Saturday, May 7, to honor the academic accomplishments of 925 undergraduate students, while also taking time out to recognize the service of outgoing Chancellor John W. Bardo.

Commencement for the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education and Allied Professions, and Fine and Performing Arts was held at 10 a.m., and that event was followed by a 3:30 p.m. ceremony for the College of Business, College of Health and Human Sciences, and Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology.

Thomas W. Ross, president of the University of North Carolina system, who brought greetings from the UNC Board of Governors, delivered the afternoon address.

“Did you know when you graduate those letters after your name will increase your income?” Allan Grant asked the Southwestern Community College academic award recipients.

As speaker for the awards ceremony Tuesday evening on SCC’s Jackson Campus, Grant told the recipients, “In your working lifetime an AA after your name will mean a quarter million more than just a high school diploma; a BA will mean half a million more.”