Florida State University celebrated the accomplishments of its fall graduates Friday with commencement ceremonies at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, where speakers urged the Class of 2024 to embrace challenges and shape a brighter future.
The ceremonies featured addresses by State Attorney Jack Campbell and FSU’s 2024-2025 Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor and world-renowned physicist Harrison Prosper.
President Richard McCullough presided over the ceremonies and congratulated the 2,992 graduates and their families.
“As you leave Florida State, I want to remind each of you that you will always be a Seminole,” McCullough said. “We want you to consider this campus your home, and I would like to encourage you to stay in touch.”
At a doctoral hooding ceremony Friday morning, Provost Jim Clark, the university’s chief academic officer, congratulated the graduates for demonstrating discipline, mental toughness and passion.
“You have encountered many trials and tremendous triumphs throughout this journey,” Clark said. “But this morning, your perseverance and sacrifices are appreciated and respected by all of us gathered here.”
He told the graduates: “You bring with you the next great scientific discoveries, the most awesome performances, the next solutions to global challenges, great works of art, and the new theories and strategies that will shape this state and this nation for the better.”
During the afternoon ceremony, Campbell, an FSU alumnus and state attorney for Florida’s Second Judicial Circuit, addressed graduates from the Dedman College of Hospitality, Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, College of Applied Studies, College of Motion Picture Arts, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, College of Social Sciences & Public Policy, College of Business, College of Music, and the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.
FSU FALL 2024 GRADUATE SPOTLIGHTS
Blending humor — “To those of you who don’t know me, congratulations. You got out of Tallahassee without going through my diversion program.” — and advice, Campbell spoke about the importance of courage, and he urged the graduates to embrace resilience and service.
Quoting Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech, Campbell reminded graduates that success requires grit and determination.
“Whatever path you choose, you have to be willing to risk loss to achieve greatness,” Campbell said. “You have the opportunity to be the solution.”
The state attorney encouraged the graduates to develop not just their intellect but also their emotional and social intelligence, and he congratulated them for overcoming challenges.
“We at FSU have a special gift of resilience. Our very foundation is based on Chief Osceola’s unconquered legacy,” Campbell said. “We don’t celebrate and emulate him because he defeated General Jackson. Rather, we recognize his true courage when he refused to surrender despite unwinnable odds. Though he lost on the battlefields, his legacy and people stand today because he got back up. So that is my message and charge to you all.”
During the evening ceremony for graduates from the College of Medicine, College of Fine Arts, College of Communication & Information, College of Law, College of Nursing, College of Criminology & Criminal Justice, College of Social Work, and College of Arts and Sciences, Prosper reflected on the graduates’ potential and the challenges they will face.
A first-generation college graduate from the Caribbean, Prosper thanked his family and mentors before celebrating the Class of 2024.
With a blend of humor and wisdom, Prosper poked fun at his age and love of Shakespearean insults before pivoting to heartfelt reflections on the graduates’ potential.
“I am proud of you because you are not afraid of differences. I am proud of you because you think war is a dumb way to resolve disputes. I am proud of how you’re not afraid of hard work. And I’m most proud of you because I genuinely believe you want to create a more humane world,” he said.
Acknowledging the challenges facing the next generation, Prosper also expressed hope for their ability to create a better future.
He shared a moving personal story of loss, reflecting on his mother’s passing three years ago to cancer, and he urged the graduates to dedicate themselves to advancing medical and technological breakthroughs.
“My hope is that your generation will be the first whose ingenuity renders cancer a condition no more frightening than the common cold,” he said.
Prosper closed with a vision of hope and called on the graduates to continue America’s pursuit of a “more perfect union.”
He said, “America has many faults. But it remains the most inspiring, the most daring, the most successful sociological experiment in human history. It is an experiment worth preserving and worthy of your attention.”
FSU awarded 2,992 degrees: 2,024 bachelor’s degrees, 743 master’s and specialist degrees, 112 doctoral degrees, 6 Juris doctor degrees, 102 Juris master’s degrees and 5 LLM degrees. The graduates will join FSU’s global alumni network of more than 407,000 members.
For more information, visit commencement.fsu.edu.