Kaplan University celebrated the graduation of its winter 2011 class during a live graduation ceremony on Feb. 5 in Miami. Bill Richardson, former two term governor of New Mexico, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, U.S. Energy Secretary and multiple Nobel Peace Prize nominee, served as the commencement speaker.
The following local students were awarded degrees: Kacie Henderson was awarded a bachelor of science in criminal justice and Peggy Ledford was awarded a bachelor of science in paralegal studies. Both Henderson and Ledford are from Cortez.
According to a release from Kaplan University, Richardson referenced his path from student to governor and told the approximately 1,000 graduates in attendance that when you combine diversity and creativity with energy, commitment and a strong work ethic, there is no limit to what you can do.
I feel very strongly about providing opportunities and increasing access to education, which Kaplan University does very efficiently and very effectively. And what theyve done is adapt to a changing world and respond to the needs of students to your needs, Richardson added.
The Kaplan University winter 2011 class, which included more than 5,600 graduates, earned associates, bachelors and masters degrees as well as professional certificates completely online. More than 1,000 of them traveled from around the country and the world to attend the ceremony, meeting face-to-face for the first time. Kaplan University has graduated nearly 27,000 online students since it began offering web-based degrees in 2001.
For more information about Kaplan University, visit www.kaplanuniversity.edu.