READING, Pa. — A new class of Penn State Berks students — the campus' largest graduating class to date — earned their baccalaureate and associate degrees during spring 2016 commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 7.

The increasing number of graduates has made it necessary to hold two separate ceremonies for the spring commencement for the second consecutive year. The first ceremony was held for students graduating from the EBC (Engineering, Business, and Computing) Division at 10 a.m., and the second commencement ceremony for students graduating from the HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences) Division and the Science Division was held at 2 p.m.

Both ceremonies took place in the Beaver Community Center due to inclement weather, which did not dampen the enthusiasm of family and friends as the celebrated:

• 276 new graduates;
• the first group to graduate with bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice;
• eight Schreyer Honors College medal recipients.​

Graduates heard a motivational keynote address from Khalid N. Mumin, superintendent of the Reading School District. Mumin gave the graduates the "ingredients to his special sauce" as he calls it. He advised them to follow the "APIE" principle for any situation they face in life: assess, plan, implement and evaluate. He told the graduates to repeat these steps “over and over and over again” and make adjustments as needed, whether the situation is professional or personal.

See more photos from Berks’ spring 2016 commencement on Facebook.