SEDALIA—Gary Noland, former president of the State Fair Community College Board of Trustees, will deliver the keynote address at the college’s commencement at 7 p.m. May 13 in the Mathewson Exhibition Center on the Missouri State Fairgrounds.
Noland retired in April after 44 years of continuous service to SFCC. He was elected to the board in April 2004, served as treasurer from 2006-2008 and as president since 2008. He is the only faculty member to have served on the SFCC Foundation Board of Directors.
Since joining SFCC in 1972, Noland had served as a mid-management instructor, director of Job Placement, director of Statewide Job Placement, director of the Area Vocational Technical School (now the Career and Technology Center), and manager of the college farm.
He also served several years as assistant women’s basketball coach, during which time the team reached the national tournament twice.
Of his accomplishments at SFCC, Noland is most proud of these:
· While he was DECA sponsor, 15 students won events at the state level, five qualified for nationals and two placed second in national competition.
· While he was Job Placement director, students had a 90-plus percent placement rate for several consecutive years.
· As director of Missouri Job Placement, he promoted jobs for community college graduates statewide and received the governor’s award for outstanding service in the field of education.
· As Board of Trustees president, he received the 2015 Missouri Community College Association Trustee Leadership Award.
Sedalia business owner Jorge R. Guevara has been named SFCC’s 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient and will give the alumni welcome to prospective graduates.
Guevara and his family founded GUESA USA Investments in 2011. The company has developed two multimillion-dollar projects in Sedalia and one in Florida, acquired multiple properties and employs more than 200 employees in two states.
GUESA USA is an athletic sponsor for SFCC, the University of Central Missouri (UCM) and many local school and sports programs. In 2014 the company awarded $1,500 renewable scholarships to two students to attend Sacred Heart School.
Guevara is a native of Caracas, Venezuela. In 1999 he formed his first company, a mobile DJ service for private parties. In 2002 he graduated from high school and came to Sedalia as a Rotary International exchange student. During 2002-2003 he attended Sacred Heart High School, where he played soccer and baseball. He also volunteered with the Sedalia Ambulance Service, the Sedalia Police Department, the city of Sedalia, and the Pettis County Sheriff’s Department.
Guevara received a Professional Certificate in Practical Nursing in 2005, an Associate of Arts degree in 2006 and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Nursing in 2009 from SFCC. In 2010 he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a focus in Finance and Accounting from UCM. He joined ProEnergy Services in Sedalia, where he worked in sales and recruiting.
As of May 4, 1,095 degrees and certificates were projected to be awarded to 948 candidates for graduation, including 538 Associate of Arts degrees, 32 Associate of Arts in Teaching degrees, 11 Associate of Science degrees, 247 Associate of Applied Science degrees, 115 Professional Certificates, and 152 Skills Certificates.
The numbers include students who attend SFCC on the Sedalia campus and at locations in Boonville, Clinton, Eldon, Lake of the Ozarks, Whiteman Air Force Base, and online. More than 290 students plan to walk in the ceremony.
A commencement and pinning ceremony for Allied Health graduates will be held at 2 p.m. May 13 in the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center on the Sedalia campus. Cindy Henke, retired SFCC Allied Health and Physical Education Department chair, will give the commencement address.
A total of 55 Allied Health students are expected to receive degrees or certificates in these categories: Associate Degree Nursing, 23; Practical Nursing, four; Dental Hygiene, nine; Diagnostic Medical Sonography, six; and Radiologic Technology, 13.
SFCC’s Adult Education and Literacy graduation will be held at 2 p.m. May 14 in the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center. Participants who have passed the High School Equivalency exam and who have earned their United States citizenship will be recognized.
