LAKELAND, Fla. (Dec. 13, 2005) — Approximately 230 Florida Southern College students will receive diplomas at mid-year graduation ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 17 at 10:30 a.m. in Branscomb Auditorium. William A. Walker II, Lay Leader of the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and trustee of Florida Southern College, will deliver the commencement address.

Graduating Saturday will be seniors from the college’s traditional day program (133), the Lakeland evening program (23), and the Orlando program (62). Four students will receive their MBAs and one student will receive a MEd. Thomas McConville from Port St. Lucie, Fla., graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree, will be the senior speaker and Shelley Grasso from Lakeland, Fla., graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree, will perform special music at the ceremony.

About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 38 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 25 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U. S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelors and by the Princeton Review as a “Best Southeastern College.” Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.