Steamboat’s own astronaut Steven Swanson to give CMC commencement address May 2

NASA Astronaut Steven Swanson, Ph.D. will give the keynote commencement address at Colorado Mountain College’s spring graduation ceremony in Steamboat Springs on May 2.

Swanson is a 1979 graduate of Steamboat Springs High School, and though he’s traveled more than 83 million miles in space throughout his 17-year career at NASA, he considers Steamboat Springs his hometown.

Swanson is among an elite group of less than 50 active astronauts currently employed by NASA. His space flight experiences include shuttle missions, spacewalks and, most recently, a six-month tour of duty on the International Space Station, which concluded on Sept. 10, 2014.

In addition to conferring certificates of occupational proficiency and associate degrees in a range of disciplines, this spring’s commencement will signify the third year that the college is awarding bachelor’s degrees in business administration and sustainability studies to graduates.

The campus’s graduation ceremony will be held at the Steamboat Grand Hotel, followed by a luncheon reception at the Neas Family/Student Dining Center on campus.