The Honorable Claude Ramsey, Deputy to the Governor and Chief of Staff for Governor Bill Haslam, will address Chattanooga State Community College graduates at Commencement on May 7 at 10 a.m. at the Memorial Auditorium.

Chattanooga State will award 467 AA/AS/AST degrees, 581 AAS degrees and 375 technical certificates for a total of 1,423. There are 73 summa cum laude (4.0 GPA), 101 magna cum laude (3.75-3.99 GPA) and 109 cum laude (3.50-3.74) graduates in the Class of 2011. Seventy-three graduates are in multiple programs, while 14 graduates have multiple concentrations.

The five areas of the College awarding the most degrees include the transfer programs, nursing, engineering technology, management and media technologies. The areas of study awarding the largest number of technical certificates are emergency medical technician basic EMT, dental assisting, pharmacy technician, emergency medical technician paramedic and the beginning actor level of the professional actor training program.

Middle College High School at Chattanooga State has a total of 57 graduates with 14 of the graduates simultaneously receiving an associate degree. Hannah E. Johnson and Madeleine C. Workman-Johnson are valedictorian and salutatorian respectively.

The Tennessee Technology Center (TTC), which has traditionally participated in the spring Commencement exercises, will hold its graduation ceremony in August this year. Additional recognition will be given to faculty and staff Excellence Awards winners Betty Zmaj, associate professor nursing, for teaching-technology; Doug Ledford, senior instructor in surgical technology, for teaching-TTC; Shirley Kilgore, coordinator and associate professor night nursing program, for advising; Lulu Copeland, manager for technical training in engineering technology, for professional staff; and Mary Loraine Crouch, admissions record clerk, for support staff.

Deputy Governor Ramsey, who has been actively engaged in public service for nearly 40 years, served as mayor of Hamilton County before accepting his current appointment. He is married to Jan Fizer Ramsey and is the proud father of son, Rich, and daughter, Stacy. He has four granddaughters and a grandson. He is a member of Bayside Baptist Church.