Major General Milford Beagle Jr., 10th Mountain Division Fort Drum, To Deliver Keynote at JCC’s 58th Commencement Ceremony

Jefferson Community College (JCC) will hold its Spring Commencement Ceremony for December 2021, May 2022 and August 2022 candidates for graduation on Friday, May 20, 2022. 

The College is honored that Major General Milford Beagle Jr. of the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) at Fort Drum will deliver the keynote address. MG Beagle was commissioned as an Infantry Officer upon graduation from South Carolina State University in 1990 as a distinguished military graduate. He holds master’s degrees from Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, and the United States Army School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He has served in numerous leadership capacities from the platoon to brigade level and has served in combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan in positions ranging from operations officer in tactical combat units to advisor as part of NATO missions. His career assignments have spanned the globe from Hawaii to the Republic of South Korea. Major General Beagle’s most recent assignments were as the Executive Officer to the 35th Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, General Allyn, followed by serving as the Deputy Commanding General (Support), 10th Mountain Division (Light), Fort Drum, New York, and forward deployed in support of OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE, Kuwait. Prior to his return to Fort Drum, he served as the 51st Commanding General, United States Army Training Center and Fort Jackson, Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

The student commencement speaker is Justyce J. Countryman, Watertown. Countryman completed his associate in science degree in individual studies in December 2021 and anticipates graduating with his associate in science degree in computer science. With a 3.97 GPA, Countryman earned President’s and Dean’s Lists honors and was invited to join Jefferson’s Tau Xi Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society for two year colleges. He participated in the College’s optional Honors Program and the collegiate Science & Technology Entry Program (CSTEP). Countryman served on the JCC EverGREEN Committee and the Academic Standards Committee. He was named Outstanding CSTEP Ambassador and Outstanding Computer Science student. He anticipates transferring to SUNY Oswego in the fall to pursue his bachelor’s degree in meteorology.

The ceremony will take place in-person in the McVean Student Center Gymnasium at 7:00 p.m. and will be video-streamed on the College’s website, www.sunyjefferson.edu beginning at 6:45 p.m. Approximately 335 students are eligible to graduate from Jefferson upon successful completion of degree requirements. Participating in Jefferson’s commencement exercise are eight candidates for graduation from Jefferson Higher Education Center (JHEC) partner SUNY Potsdam; candidates for graduation will receive their diplomas from SUNY Potsdam. 

Tickets are required for admission to the McVean Student Center Gymnasium. Overflow seating for those without a ticket is available in Sturtz Tehater, McVean Student Center. Parking is available in Lot D. Gymnasium doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

A reception for graduates and guests will be held in the Jules Center Commons immediately following the ceremony. Graduates and guests are encouraged to take advantage of the photo room in the Walker Instructional Dining Room, McVean Center. Additional commencement information for students and guests is available online or by calling 315-786-2234.