Northcentral University Hosts Highest Number of Graduates Ever

100% Online University Welcomes 2008 Grads from Around the Globe

Prescott Valley, AZ – June 12, 2008 — Northcentral University (www.ncu.edu), an innovator in 100% online higher education, announced today that 84 graduates and their families from around the globe attended the 2008 commencement ceremonies held in Prescott, Arizona at the Elks Opera House on Saturday, May 31.

“We are extremely pleased to have had so many of our graduates join us for the ceremony this year, more than double the number that attended the ceremony in 2007” commented Dr. Clinton Gardner, NCU President. “As a fully online university with courses starting monthly, our students graduate at different times during the year. This year we had nearly 300 graduate and we are very proud that 84 chose to attend the ceremony,” Gardner added.

“This year NCU graduates attending the ceremony came from as far away as Cameroon, Germany, Great Britain, and China, and as near as Chino Valley, Arizona. They ranged in age from 25 to 75 years of age,” stated Gardner. Of the 300 students to graduate between May 2007 and May 2008, 35 earned bachelor’s degrees, 140 earned masters and 122 earned doctoral degrees. In addition there was a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies earned in Education. Northcentral University’s total enrollment is approaching 7,000, having more than doubled in the last two years.

Dr. Joe DiRenzo III, a retired Coast Guard officer who has worked in maritime/port security and criminal justice for over 15 years, delivered the commencement address. DiRenzo is an alumnus of NCU who earned his doctor of philosophy in business administration with a specialization in homeland security in 2007. He is a Visiting Fellow at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia, a visiting lecturer at the Canadian Forces College and a former adjunct instructor at Marine Corp University.

Northcentral University’s commencement ceremony took place in the historic Elks Theater on Gurley Street in downtown Prescott. The ceremony was preceded earlier in the day with a Provost’s Breakfast at the Hassayampa Inn where graduates who distinguished themselves during their academic programs were recognized. After the commencement ceremony, graduates and their families were honored with a reception at the Hassayampa Inn.