Governor Kate Brown to deliver Keynote Address at Commencement June 13

Oregon Governor Kate Brown will deliver the keynote address at the 2019 commencement of Linn-Benton Community College.

LBCC’s 51st annual Commencement Ceremony will take place on Thursday, June 13th, at 7 p.m. at the Linn County Expo Center. More than 800 students will celebrate their graduation from college, cheered on by friends and family in attendance.

Brown’s participation in LBCC’s Commencement demonstrates the governor’s continued commitment to community colleges.

“We are so honored to welcome Governor Brown to our commencement,” said LBCC President Greg Hamann. “She very much understands that community college graduates are celebrating an absolutely pivotal achievement by earning their degrees – both for themselves and their families, and for the economic future of our entire state. The opportunity to hear from the highest office in Oregon during this moment will be encouragement that our grads will take forward with them into the future.”

Recently, as legislators work toward mitigating a state-funding challenge for higher education in Oregon, the Governor’s Office has taken particular interest in LBCC’s career-technical programs as providing innovative workforce solutions and solid career paths for Oregonians.

LBCC programs in fields such as Mechatronics Technology, Non-Destructive Testing, Machine Tool, Welding, and Automotive Technician have been developed as a result of close partnerships with local industry, leading to state-of-the art facilities and leading-edge technical training.

LBCC is the only college in Oregon to provide training in Non-Destructive Testing and Evaluation. NDT graduates are in high-demand around the region, and find employment with aerospace parts industries, where they inspect, test, and evaluate materials, components, or assemblies for flaws or differences in characteristics that may lead to failures. LBCC technicians play a critical role in ensuring our transportation, bridges, buildings, and infrastructure are sound.

LBCC’s state-of-the-art Automotive Technician program trains students in the latest fuel technologies, including electric and alternative fuel vehicles. LBCC students are retrofitting vehicles across Oregon to run on alternative fuels, and are learning skills that are in high demand around the state and across the nation. The automotive facility also serves as a National Coalition of Certification Centers training facility.  

In addition to CTE, LBCC offers transfer students a direct line to local universities through its degree partnership programs with Oregon State, Oregon Institute of Technology, and its newest partnership with Western Oregon University. These partnerships provide a clear path for students to take their first two years at community college prices, and seamlessly transfer to their university while making every credit count.  

Governor Brown assumed office in February 2015 as the state’s 38th governor, and is the state’s second female governor. She previously served as Oregon’s Secretary of State and as majority leader of the Oregon State Senate.

Brown earned a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Conservation with a certificate in Women's Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a J.D. degree and certificate in Environmental Law from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College.

More information about the LBCC Commencement ceremony, visit www.linnbenton.edu/commencement.

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About Linn-Benton Community College: More than 18,000 students rely on Linn-Benton Community College each year for higher education including career technical education, transfer degree programs, professional development, corporate training, small business development, community education classes and more. Serving the mid-Willamette Valley with six locations including its main campus in Albany, LBCC partners with multiple business and industries to enrich the community and support economic growth. LBCC students choose from more than 80 programs and go on to be tomorrow’s innovators, leaders, skilled workers and community builders.