Longtime faculty member
to address graduates at NMCC
PRESQUE ISLE — Northern Maine Community College’s Class of 2012 will gather Saturday, May 19 at The Forum in Presque Isle for commencement exercises. The graduates will listen to the inspiring words of Dan Boyd, whose guidance and dedication as an NMCC instructor has touched the lives of many of those who will be awarded associate degrees and certificates at the ceremony.
Joining Dan Boyd 
at the podium during commencement will be Jonathan Post of Chapman, NMCC’s 2012 Student of the Year. The nursing graduate, who has distinguished himself academically and through his service both on campus and off, will address his 259 classmates.
Boyd, who will be retiring at the conclusion of the academic year, has made a difference in the lives of students as an automotive technology instructor for the past 30 years. His connection to the campus, though, goes back even farther. Boyd earned an associate degree in 1982 from NMCC’s forerunner, Northern Maine Vocational Technical Institute. He is also certified by the Automotive Society of Engineers as a master technician.
“Dan Boyd has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to his students and to the college over the past 30 years,” said NMCC President Timothy Crowley. “He was mentored as both a student and faculty member by Harold Quass, who led the automotive program for many years. Mr. Quass set the bar very high for his students and other faculty. Dan Boyd has had a similar impact on our students and our college. He has served as a mentor for hundreds of students and is revered by all. The greatest compliment I can give to Dan is to let him know that he has filled the shoes of Mr. Quass and established his own legacy that is built on love of students and commitment to his technology.”
Boyd has had the opportunity to get closer than most to his students over the years. In addition to leading their learning experiences in the classroom and lab, he has traveled with students numerous times over the years to Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, bringing them to see first-hand the complete assembly process of an automobile and its power train.
Last fall, Boyd brought four of his students to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon to participate in the “GearWrench Racing Speed Challenge,” a tricycle race which gained national exposure for NMCC. The competition was televised on the SPEED Channel and required the students to assemble the tricycle themselves before racing it on the track.
The addresses by Boyd and Post will be followed by the conferring of 217 associate degrees and 50 certificates to the graduates. In addition, Crowley will present the President’s Award, which is given annually to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the college, assisting in moving the college toward fulfilling its mission, vision and goals.
NMCC’s commencement ceremony begins at 10 a.m. Tickets are not required for general admission seating.
