Three highly successful graduates of Florida State University will be the featured speakers at FSU’s four spring commencement ceremonies.
John Dailey, mayor of Tallahassee, will be the keynote speaker at 2 p.m. Friday, May 3, at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, 505 W. Pensacola St.
Later that evening, John W. Thiel, a business consultant and current member of the FSU Foundation Board of Trustees, will address graduates at the 7:30 p.m. ceremony.
On Saturday, May 4, business leader and FSU Foundation Board of Trustees Chair David Lane will present the commencement address during the final two ceremonies at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Florida State will award degrees to more than 6,500 graduates: 5,416 bachelor’s degrees, 918 master’s degrees and 225 doctorates. The university will recognize students and student-veterans who have earned academic honors, including induction into the Garnet and Gold Scholar Society. President John Thrasher will preside over the four ceremonies.
Dailey will speak to graduates of the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Motion Picture Arts and Social Work. He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida State, where he served as president of the Student Government Association. Dailey also earned a master’s degree in public administration from FSU. He was elected mayor of Tallahassee in 2018.
Thiel will address graduates of the colleges of Business and Fine Arts, the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship and the Dedman School of Hospitality. Thiel, who earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from FSU, worked in wealth management for much of his career with Merrill Lynch.
Lane, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from FSU, will offer the keynote speech at both Saturday ceremonies. He currently serves as chair of the FSU Foundation Board of Trustees and school board president in Lake Forest, Illinois. Lane is president and chief operating officer of Terlato Wines based in the Chicago area.
Lane will address students in the colleges of Applied Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Engineering, Nursing, Social Sciences and Public Policy, Communication and Information, Education, Human Sciences, Music, Medicine and The Graduate School.
In addition to the four commencement ceremonies:
The FSU College of Social Work will host a spring graduation reception for its students in the Oglesby Union Ballrooms at 9 a.m. Friday, May 3, 2019. The event, led by Dean Jim Clark, will include a pinning ceremony and will recognize accomplishments of the graduating class. Attendees will be addressed by keynote speaker Jeff Binkley, who, along with his wife Margaret Binkley, founded Maura’s Voice. Kathryn Casello will be the undergraduate speaker.
The College of Nursing will hold its pinning ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday, May 3, in Ruby Diamond Concert Hall. Graduates will receive a pin, recognizing the completion of educational requirements. College of Nursing alumna Mia Newlin and Dean Judith McFetridge-Durdle will be the guest speakers.
Army ROTC will commission 27 cadets during a ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4, in the Oglesby Union State Ballroom. The guest speaker will be former FSU football coach Bobby Bowden. Eight cadets earned the distinction of Distinguished Military Graduate by graduating in the top 20 percent of all cadets nationwide: Jordan Clark, Maria Eggers, Megan Householder, Hayden Hurst, Zachary Johnson, Savannah Markell, Jordan Rapport and Lynee Tieu.
Air Force ROTC will commission 24 cadets during a ceremony at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 4, in Opperman Music Hall, Kuersteiner Music Building. The guest speaker will be Brigadier General Claude K. Tudor, Commander of the 24th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida. All 24 cadets will enter active duty service in the Air Force.
The College of Law plans to award 147 Juris Doctor degrees, four Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees and 16 Juris Master degrees. The college will hold its graduation ceremony at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 5, at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. Florida Supreme Court Justice Ricky Polston, a 1987 graduate of the FSU College of Law, will give the keynote address.
FSU Panama City will hold its commencement ceremony at 1:30 p.m. CDT Sunday, May 5, at the Edgewater Beach Resort Conference Center in Panama City Beach. There are 332 graduates (280 bachelor’s degrees and 52 master’s degrees), including 23 military veterans. FSU Provost Sally McRorie and FSU Panama City Dean Randy Hanna will preside.
The College of Medicine will hold its commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18, in Ruby Diamond Concert Hall for 113 students receiving the Doctor of Medicine degree and 14 students receiving the Master of Science Bridge to Clinical Medicine degree. Michael Muszynski, M.D., dean of the college’s Orlando Regional Campus and associate dean for clinical research, will deliver a commencement address to graduates. After serving as dean of the Orlando campus since 2004, Muszynski will retire from the college May 18.
Florida State will livestream the May 3-4 commencement ceremonies on the web. Livestreaming allows family and friends to view the ceremony in real time from anywhere in the world. Visit www.learningforlife.fsu.edu/fsu-graduation/ for webcast links.
