FLORIDA SOUTHERN COLLEGE TO HOST 2023 SPRING COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES ON SATURDAY, MAY 6

LAKELAND, Fla., May 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Southern College will host its Spring 2023 Commencement exercise starting at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. Doors will open at noon. This is the 139th Commencement exercise for the College.

The keynote speaker for this year's ceremony will be Mr. John K. Adams '92. Mr. Adams is a Board Member and the Chief Executive Officer of Altus Fire & Life Safety. He is an accomplished executive with 25 years of leadership experience and expertise in generating revenue and financial growth that consistently exceed industry standards in diverse markets such as healthcare, medical/surgical products, and distribution, as well as information technology and consumer services.

The College anticipates approximately 450 students will be awarded their undergraduate degrees, including 264 from the School of Arts and Sciences, 105 from the Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise, 68 from the Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences, and 15 from the School of Education. Graduates represent almost all 50 states and seven countries, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland.

Additionally, 44 graduate degrees and seven doctoral degrees will be conferred.

The senior speaker will be Katharine Grace Wall, who will earn her bachelor's degree in chemistry with minors in psychology and biology. She is originally from Jacksonville, Fla.

During the ceremony, Florida Southern will present the President's Scholar Medal for superb academic achievement, which is not revealed before commencement. It is awarded in recognition of a student's academic record and demonstrating great promise for future success.

Previously announced, The Ben and Janice Wade Outstanding Teaching Award was awarded to Dr. Shameka Shelby, Ph.D., department chair and associate professor of chemistry, while the 2023 Honor Walk recipient was bestowed upon Nathalie Vanessa Moreno '23 of Union, N.J.

The ceremony is open to graduates and ticketed guests and will be streamed live at flsouthern.edu/graduation.

About Florida Southern College

Founded in 1883, Florida Southern College is the oldest private college in the state. The College maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 70+ undergraduate programs and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, nursing, and physical therapy. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio, is an award-winning national leader in engaged learning, and boasts 30 NCAA Division II National Championships. Florida Southern is ranked at #8 among the "Best Regional Universities in the South" by U.S. News & World Report in its 2022 "Best Colleges" guide and is included in The Princeton Review's 2022 Best 387 Colleges guide and the "Fiske Guide to Colleges 2022." The 2021-2022 Colleges of Distinction guidebook praises Florida Southern's AACSB accredited Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise alongside the College's School of Education and its Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Poets&Quants, U.S. News & World Report, Fortune, and The Princeton Review further laud the Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise and the Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences as foremost programs in the nation for business and nursing education. Home to the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, FSC has appeared on The Princeton Review's top 20 "Most Beautiful Campus" national listing for 12 consecutive years. Connect with Florida Southern College.

SOURCE Florida Southern College