More than 380 Students to Receive
Degrees During BSC's Commencement,
May 13

 

( Bluefield)— More than 380 students will receive degrees during Bluefield State College’s 109 th Commencement Exercises, May 13, at the Brushfork Armory. Dr. Rod Paige, who served as U.S. Secretary of Education during the first term of President George W. Bush, has accepted an invitation to deliver the Commencement Address.

BSC President Dr. Albert Walker noted, ““We’re very pleased that Dr. Paige will speak at our commencement. His message to our graduates, their families, and the NRCTC community will contribute significantly to this very meaningful milestone in their lives.”

More than five years ago, the United States Senate confirmed Dr. Paige as the 7th U.S. Secretary of Education. For Paige, that day was the crowning achievement of a long career in education. He earned a bachelor's degree from Jackson State University in his home state. He then earned both a master's and a doctoral degree from Indiana University.

Paige began working with students early in his career as a teacher and a coach. He then served for a decade as dean of the College of Education at Texas Southern University (TSU). In this position, Paige worked to ensure that future educators would receive the training and expertise necessary to succeed in the classroom. He also established the university's Center for Excellence in Urban Education, a research facility that concentrates on issues related to instruction and management in urban school systems.

Elected in 1989, Paige was sworn in as a trustee and an officer of the Board of Education of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) in January 1990, in which capacities he served until 1994. In 1994, Paige left TSU to become superintendent of HISD, the nation's seventh largest school district. Inside Houston Magazine named Paige one of " Houston's 25 most powerful people" in guiding the city's growth and prosperity. In 2001, he was named National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators.

He was the first school superintendent ever to serve as Secretary of Education. Upon taking office, he learned of wide-scale criminal fraud, waste, and abuse within the Department that was featured on national network news. In response, he made improving management one of his priorities. Paige rallied the Department to create the Blueprint for Management Excellence in order to build an organization worthy of the taxpayers' trust.

BSC’s commencement exercises will begin at 10 a.m. and will include recognition of the College’s valedictorian and salutatorian, as well as presentation of the BSC Foundation’s “Outstanding Faculty Award.”

April 20, 2006