Col. Timothy Faulkner, garrison commander for Fort Huachuca, will address the Cochise College class of 2010 during commencement ceremonies Friday, May 14. The event takes place at the Douglas Campus and will be broadcast live on the college website.

Members of the Class of 2009 celebrated their accomplishments at the Douglas Campus last year. About 300 students are expected to participate in commencement this year.

This year, the college will award nearly 800 associate degrees and expects about 300 students to participate in the event. The ceremony begins at 7 p.m. and will take place on the lawn next to the Charles Di Peso Library. The program will also be available live at www.cochise.edu, allowing viewers to see everything from the processional to the last graduate crossing the stage.

This year’s student speaker is Kimberly Swift, a full-time student at the Sierra Vista Campus. Swift is the reigning Miss Sierra Vista and a member of the All-Arizona First Team and a Coca Cola Gold Scholar. She plans to transfer to the University of Arizona South with the goal of becoming an elementary teacher. In her speech, she’ll talk about the experience of finding her way at Cochise College.

Originally from Newport News, Va., Col. Faulkner has served as a field artillery officer, unmanned aerial vehicle operations officer, company commander, battalion operations officer and executive officer, detachment commander, intelligence officer and planner, brigade operations officer, chief of planning and requirements at the National Security Agency, and in other leadership positions. He has deployed across the globe in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Joint Endeavor and Joint Guard, Joint Forge and Allied Force, and Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

A special candlelight ceremony recognizing this year’s nursing class will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 13 at the Douglas Campus. Nearly 110 students are eligible to earn certification as practical or registered nurses. That ceremony also will be broadcast on the Internet.