A-B Tech Celebrates Graduates
A-B Technical Community College celebrated approximately 400 graduates during its 2023 Commencement ceremony on May 13, 2023 at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in downtown Asheville.
A-B Tech President John Gossett presided over the ceremony, and Clark Duncan, senior vice president for economic development of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, delivered the keynote address. Duncan told graduates they are graduating into a booming economy and job market and have bright futures.
“We look forward to commencement as the highlight of our academic year when we gather to celebrate our graduates, their journeys, and their success,” said A-B Tech President John Gossett. “Most of our graduates are first-generation college students who are transforming their own lives and the lives of their families for generations to come.”
A-B Tech awarded nearly 900 degrees and diplomas for the 2022-23 academic year (fall, spring, and summer semesters), and about 400 graduates participated in the ceremony.
“I consider myself honored to be an A-B Tech graduate, said Student Government Association President Ryan Adams-Clark. “The college is filled with faculty and staff who are passionate about what they teach and who they are teaching, and students who are equally elated about their education and futures. It’s an inspiring campus to be on, and I am beyond grateful to have gotten the opportunity to be a part of it in a deeper capacity.”
Among this year’s graduating class are 78 Associate Degree Nursing students who are the first graduates of the new A-B Tech School of Nursing. The college has had nursing programs since its founding in 1959, but the School of Nursing was dedicated in April of this year.
The Class of 2023 also includes 54 area high school students who earned associate degrees from A-B Tech before they received high school diplomas. Included are 27 students from Buncombe County Early College, 16 from Madison Early College, four from Buncombe County Middle College, two each from Nesbitt Discovery Academy and home schools, and one each from ICI Charter, Owen, and TC Roberson high schools.
High school students are eligible to take college courses at A-B Tech and other community colleges for free under the NC Career & College Promise high school dual enrollment program.
A-B Tech conferred degrees and diplomas in more than 60 program areas. Approximately 200 Associate in Arts degrees and 70 Associate in Science degrees will be awarded to transfer students who intend to pursue four-year degrees at colleges and universities. Other transfer degrees include Associate in Engineering, Associate in Fine Arts, and Associate in Arts: Teacher Preparation.
The remainder of credentials earned by A-B Tech graduates are Associate in Applied Sciences (AAS) degrees and diplomas in a range of career fields spanning Aviation to Welding. The college trains bakers, chefs, brewers, hospitality managers, accountants, office administrators, medical coding specialists, pilots, paramedics, firefighters, police officers, construction workers, machinists, welders, a wide range of healthcare professionals, and more.
An economic impact study released last year found that A-B Tech had a $405.8 million annual impact on the WNC economy, supporting more than 7,402, or one of every 41, jobs in the region. The impact of the increased earnings of A-B Tech alumni and the businesses they work for totaled $340.1 million, while A-B Tech operations spending contributed $53.5 million and student spending contributed $12.2 million.
The study looked at a five-county impact area comprised of Buncombe, Madison, McDowell, Haywood, and Henderson counties. The high-demand career pathways quantified in the report included jobs and programs related only to Allied Health, Business & Information Technology (IT), Engineering Technology, Nursing, and Public Safety.
Learn more at abtech.edu.
