Ocean County College holds 50th commencement ceremony (PHOTOS)

Nearly 1,500 students were expected to receive degrees from Ocean County College this year.

TOMS RIVER - A dense fog and a light rain blanketed the Ocean County College campus on Thursday night, but didn't dampen the celebration of the college's 50th Commencement ceremony.

Nearly 1,500 graduates were scheduled to receive degrees this year, including 150 NJ STARS program students, which Ocean County College President Jon Larson said was the highest total of any of the state's 19 community colleges.

Commencement speaker Philip Zitelli, a member of Ocean County College's first graduating class in 1968, told the graduates that their education will serve as the "springboard to other institutions of higher learning and sets the stage for (their) next stage in life."

"The education you acquire truly opens the door to opportunities," said Zitelli, a past president of the school's alumni association. "You decide if you want to walk through that door and make a productive, meaningful and successful life for yourself."

Jay Grunin, of the Toms River-based private philanthropic fund The Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation, warned the graduates that a college degree does not guarantee a "ticket to financial happiness" and that more would be required from them.

"Those here today not only made the decision to further their education, you followed through on that decision with creativity, passion and determination," Grunin said. "Your college degree does not assure you of a successful career. It's the creativity, passion and determination that brought you to this momentous occasion that will guarantee you that."

The combined $13 million in donations that Grunin and his wife, Linda, have donated to Ocean County College through their foundation over the years - including their most recent donation of  $8 million for the construction of a performing arts building on the campus - is the largest amount ever given to a New Jersey community college, Larson said.

Student speaker Avrohom Kotler told his fellow graduates that the knowledge they gained at Ocean County College enabled "an expansion of mind, which leads to a new appreciation of life."

"College educates us and in the process teaches us about the whole person and the role in society we are to assume. We learned be leaders, tackle hard issues ... and create a better society for every individual," Kotler said. "The lessons we learned are universal. ... These lessons will be the guiding light for the rest of our lives."