JACKSON and JOSEPHINE counties (June 5, 2025) – Rogue Community College (RCC) will celebrate its Class of 2025 at the 54th Commencement on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at 10 a.m. at the Marjorie Holzgang Concert Bowl located on the Redwood Campus in Grants Pass.
The ceremony will include student speakers Finn Franklin Dwyer (college graduate) and Austin Lawrence (GED®) as well as opening remarks by RCC President Randy Weber, Ed.D. The college will confer a total of 492 associate degrees and 148 certificates, with some students completing more than one, as well as 36 GED® diplomas.
Parking is free on the Redwood Campus and free shuttles will be provided from the Josephine County Fairgrounds from 8:45 a.m. until the ceremony begins, and again after the ceremony until approximately 1 p.m. For parking nearest to the Concert Bowl, attendees should use the east entrance off Redwood Highway to Demaray Drive.
Accessible seating is available for guests using wheelchairs, and there will be an ASL interpreter. Graduates or guests requesting further assistance should contact Access and Disability Resources at 541-956-7337 by 9 a.m. on June 6. For additional information about the ceremony, visit www.roguecc.edu/commencement.
RCC’s Class of 2025 includes 518 college graduates and 36 GED® completers. Thirty-three graduates maintained a 4.0 GPA. The average age for RCC’s college graduates is 28 — 27 for those earning an associate degree and 31 for those completing a certificate.
Using data from fiscal year 2021-22, a study by the independent labor market analytics firm Lightcast found that, at the midpoint of their career, RCC students who complete an associate degree earn about 25% more than workers with only a high school diploma, or an average of $7,200 more annually. Students who complete a certificate program earn almost 10% more than those with a high school diploma, or about $2,900 annually.
Earlier this spring, RCC was the only public institution in Oregon to receive the Carnegie Foundation’s Opportunity College and University designation, which recognizes colleges and universities that demonstrate high access and high earnings for their students. This means they are enrolling students reflective of the communities they serve and their graduates are earning competitive wages.
To earn this designation, institutions must meet benchmarks indicating the student body is representative of the local community and that annual earnings by former students exceed the area median by at least 25%. Fewer than 100 community colleges across the nation received the Opportunity College designation, which is valid for three years.
###
For general media inquiries or to schedule an interview with RCC staff, please contact Director, Marketing & Communications/PIO Kelly Gonzales at 541-955-7525, kgonzales@roguecc.edu.