Here’s what to know about FSU, FAMU’s graduation ceremonies this summer
With Florida State and Florida A&M University summer commencement ceremonies right around the corner, thousands of students are getting ready to cross the stage and become alumni.
As the celebratory events for the universities will be held on the same day, here’s what you need to know about graduation this summer:
When are the ceremonies?
Both FSU and FAMU’s summer commencement ceremonies will be held Friday Aug. 4, with FAMU’s only ceremony taking place at 6 p.m. in the university’s Al Lawson Center for students from all 14 of the colleges and schools at FAMU.
FSU’s events will consist of two ceremonies at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Tucker Civic Center, which will both be preceded by a smaller ceremony at 9 a.m. to award doctoral degrees.
While FSU students from schools including the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, the College of Business and the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering will receive their diplomas Friday afternoon during the 2 p.m. ceremony, the 7 p.m. commencement ceremony will include students from the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Nursing and the College of Fine Arts, among others.
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How many students will be graduating?
Over 2,900 students from FSU are graduating this summer term, with 1,741 of them getting ready to earn their bachelor’s degrees.
A total of 932 FSU students will either be earning a master’s or specialist degree, 164 will receive doctoral degrees and 119 College of Law degrees will be conferred.
The university estimates that 1,853 of its graduating class this summer will attend Friday’s three commencement ceremonies, according to the Office of the University Registrar.
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At FAMU, approximately 489 students will be graduating from the university.
While 378 of the HBCU’s (historically Black college or university) students will get their bachelor’s degrees, 78 will obtain master’s degrees and 33 will receive doctoral degrees, according to a report from FAMU’s Office of the Registrar.
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Who will be the commencement speakers?
Madeline Pumariega — the first female president of Miami Dade College — will be FSU’s keynote speaker during the university’s 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. commencement ceremonies Friday.
Pumariega has been serving as MDC’s president since January 2021 following her two years at Tallahassee Community College as executive vice president and provost.
Her previous roles also include being president and chief executive officer of Take Stock in Children — a statewide organization that provide mentors and college scholarships to low-income students — and being appointed the first female and Hispanic chancellor of the Florida College System in 2015 where she presided over the state’s 28 public community and state colleges.
During FAMU’s graduation ceremony, the university’s Board of Trustees Chair Kelvin Lawson will be the commencement speaker.
Lawson, a Gadsden County native and a 1985 graduate of FAMU’s School of Business and Industry, has been serving as a FAMU trustee since 2011 and is in his third term as chair of the board.
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He is currently the executive vice president of Business Development for Channel Partners and serves on many other boards besides the one at FAMU, which include the Board of Truist Bank and the Board of the Boys and Girls Club of Northeast Florida.
As Lawson will soon be speaking to FAMU’s graduating class this summer, one of his two daughters — whom he has with his wife Donna Lawson — is a recent FAMU grad while her sibling is entering her senior year at the university.
How can I watch?
Although FSU requires tickets in order to attend graduation in person at the Tucker Civic Center, the ceremonies will be livestreamed on the university’s Countdown to Commencement website.
FAMU does not require tickets to attend its graduation ceremony Friday, which will also be streamed live on the university’s YouTube page.
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU, FAMU’s summer graduation events to feature thousands of students
