“Tonight we will be awarding over 1,400 degrees. Most graduates are from close by, from cities and towns in Cochise County and across Arizona and the Southwest,” Cochise College President Dr. J.D. Rottweiler said to the hundreds of people at the 2013 commencement Friday. “Some of our graduates come from as far away as Germany and South Korea. Many of our graduates are active duty military men and women stationed around the world.”

The 48th commencement returned to the Cochise College Douglas Campus on a picturesque...