Florida State University honored its summer graduates Friday with three commencement ceremonies at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, where speakers offered words of encouragement, reflection and humor to the Class of 2025.
Doctoral Hooding Ceremony Summer 2025 Commencement Ceremonies
The ceremonies featured addresses from FSU Trustee and entrepreneur Jim Henderson and Distinguished Research Professor Pamela Keel, who each shared personal stories and encouraged graduates to lead with compassion, make thoughtful decisions and continue learning beyond the classroom.
President Richard McCullough presided over all three ceremonies. Provost and Executive Vice President Jim Clark addressed graduates during the morning’s doctoral hooding ceremony.
FSU awarded 2,855 degrees this summer, including 1,692 bachelor’s degrees, 881 master’s and specialist degrees, 183 doctoral degrees, 4 Juris Doctor degrees, 93 Juris Master’s degrees and 2 LLM degrees. Roughly 1,850 graduates participated in person.
Friends and family filled the arena, snapping photos and cheering as graduates crossed the stage. The mood was festive and proud.
Before conferring degrees, McCullough recognized a familiar voice at every graduation: Dean Mark Riley, who is stepping down after eight years leading The Graduate School.
“Before we move on, I want to recognize someone who’s been a big part of this ceremony for many years,” McCullough said. “Mark has been an incredible advocate for graduate students and played a major role in establishing this university-wide hooding ceremony to celebrate your achievements.”
He added, “Mark, we’re grateful for your leadership and for your signature line we’re about to hear that always gets a smile. Thank you for your service to our students and to Florida State.”
Then came the line theatrically delivered by Riley to laughter and applause: “Please rise.”
Riley will return to the faculty to continue his research, teaching and service as a Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physics.
At the hooding ceremony, Provost Clark congratulated the graduates for their achievements and potential.
“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 continued: “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, Henderson, an FSU alumnus and chair of the Board of Trustees’ Finance and Business Committee, addressed graduates from nine colleges, including his own, the College of Business.
Henderson earned degrees in accounting and economics from FSU in 1969 while working full-time and commuting from Wakulla County. After rising through leadership roles at Brown & Brown Insurance and Ormond Reinsurance Group, he founded AssuredPartners in 2011. Under his leadership, the company has grown into one of the largest insurance brokerage firms in the country, with more than 11,000 employees and offices across North America and Europe.
He and his wife, Carole, are generous supporters of FSU’s academic and athletic programs, including major gifts to support construction of Legacy Hall, the future home of the College of Business.
“What you have gained at Florida State is not just a degree, but the lifelong power of curiosity, critical thinking and perspective,” Henderson told graduates. “Knowledge allows you to shape your story, to be the cause and not just the effect.”
He also reflected on the value of giving back: “It’s never too early to give back. You may not have the financial capital to contribute, but you do have the empowerment of knowledge, your energy, your time and your unique talents.”
And he closed with encouragement to dream big at any age. “There is no expiration date on your dreams. Do not let anyone tell you it’s too late or that your chance has passed,” said Henderson, who founded AssuredPartners at age 65. “Dream boldly, move forward and carve new paths in every stage of your life.”
In the evening ceremony, Keel, a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Psychology and a clinical psychologist, delivered a thoughtful and often humorous message about making decisions, living with compassion and embracing the unknown. She was recently named FSU’s 2025-2026 Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor, the highest honor FSU faculty can give one of their own.
Internationally recognized for her research on eating disorders and body image, Keel is credited with identifying purging disorder as a distinct diagnosis. She has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles and four books, with work that spans biology, psychology, culture and media.
Since joining FSU in 2008, she has secured more than $55 million in research funding and led or co-led multiple National Institutes of Health initiatives, including a $235 million program to support the biomedical research workforce. She is also a celebrated mentor, having earned five major mentorship awards in the past two years. Her former students now teach at leading universities across the country.
Speaking to the uncertainty many students feel about their next steps, Keel said, “You may be looking at those headed to medical school and law school with envy — not because you want to take gross anatomy or constitutional law, but because you just want to know what you’re going to do.”
She offered a reminder that intelligence doesn’t always prevent mistakes. “I can share from experience,” she said, “that being intelligent and educated has made it possible to recognize the smarter, healthier, better option, but it has yet to render me incapable of doing something stupid anyway.”
Keel encouraged graduates to be kind to themselves through missteps and indecision: “Life after graduation isn’t so much about never giving in to a bad idea as much as giving yourself and others grace to grow from those experiences.”
And she reminded them that even uncertainty can be a source of strength: “None of us really knows what we’re doing when we make these kinds of decisions. And that’s okay.”
Graduates now join a global network of more than 407,000 FSU alumni.
For more information about the ceremonies, visit commencement.fsu.edu.