Celebration filled the air in the final weeks of the semester on the Coon Rapids campus at Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC). Outstanding teaching, student achievement and the fine art of dreaming all took a turn in the spotlight in the days counting down to the May 14 Commencement Ceremony.

The 2004 graduating class on the Coon Rapids Campus of Anoka-Ramsey Community College stand during their official presentation to the college at the Commencement Ceremony on May 14, 2004.

The festive atmosphere kicked off May 3 when students held a luncheon to honor outstanding faculty members. Sponsored by Phi Theta Kappa, the International Honor Society of Two-Year Colleges, the Faculty Appreciation Luncheon was capped with the awarding of the Golden Chalk Award to Philosophy Instructor Bob Skottegaard and the Silver Chalk Award to Health Instructor Jolynn Gardner.

Outstanding students received their due at the Student Awards Ceremony held May 5. Eleven activity awards and thirty-three academic discipline awards were bestowed on high-achieving sophomores, freshmen, and even some high school seniors who attend the college through the Post-Secondary Educational Opportunity program. Closing out the evening, two students were honored for overall achievement. The Outstanding Freshman Award went to Jessica Nelson of Ham Lake, Minn. and the Outstanding Sophomore Award went to Annette Von Vett of Wyoming, Minn.

On May 8, the ARCC Foundation welcomed author, entrepreneur and motivational speaker Cheryl Karpen for an inspirational luncheon fund-raiser. Karpen, who returned to campus a week later as the featured Commencement Speaker, delivered a talk titled "A Cup Full of Dreams," urging students, faculty and staff in attendance to hold on to their dreams and pursue them with tenacity.

Student nurses at the college took their first steps towards graduation in the May 13 Nurses Pinning Ceremony. Twenty-nine LPN-RN students and 104 two-year RN students received their nurses pins and recited the Florence Nightingale Pledge at the ceremony.

Two-year RN graduates gather at the pinning ceremony on the Coon Rapids Campus of Anoka-Ramsey Community College on May 13, 2004. Pictured, from left, are Kristen Bleninger-Sundar, Sara Hruska, Todd Comstock, Linda Lobasz, Maria Rasmussen, Jennifer Donabauer, and Annette Archambault.

On May 14, the campus delivered a proud congratulations to the graduating class of 2004 during the Commencement Ceremony. Punctuated with performances by the College Choir and the Concert Band, the evening’s program featured words of wisdom from ARCC President Dr. Patrick M. Johns, Faculty Speaker Melissa Mills, Commencement Speaker Cheryl Karpen, and ARCC Vice President Michael Seymour. A total of 576 students received diplomas, including 87 cum laude graduates (with honors), 55 magna cum laude graduates (with high honors) and 76 summa cum laude graduates (with greatest honors).

Anoka-Ramsey Community College President, Dr. Patrick Johns, presents a diploma to Adrienne Lane Aamoth, one of 576 students who graduated May 14 on the Coon Rapids campus.

Anoka-Ramsey Community College, with campuses in Coon Rapids and Cambridge, has been a leading provider of higher education and training in the north suburban area of Minneapolis/St. Paul and East Central Minnesota since 1965. Annually, the college serves over 8,000 learners of all ages as they pursue associate degrees that transfer as the first two years of a bachelor's degree, or certificate programs that lead immediately to rewarding careers. Anoka-Ramsey Community College is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System.