Nationally recognized entrepreneur, corporate leader and philanthropist Robert S. Jepson, Jr. to address graduates

LAKELAND, Fla. (Dec. 8, 2006) — Florida Southern College will confer degrees to 204 graduates at its December commencement ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 16, at 10:30 a.m. in FCS’s Branscomb Auditorium. Robert S. Jepson, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Jepson Associates, Inc., of Savannah, Ga., will deliver the commencement address.

“The Florida Southern community is extremely proud of the accomplishments of our graduates, and we are delighted that they will have the opportunity to hear from one of the most prominent and highly-respected organizational leadership experts in our nation today,” said President Anne Kerr.

Graduating Saturday will be seniors from the college’s traditional day program, the Lakeland evening program, and the Orlando program. Twenty-seven students will receive their master’s degrees. 

Jepson will receive an honorary Doctor of Business degree in recognition of his outstanding business career, which included building an NYSE-listed 14-company conglomerate; his distinguished service on the boards of numerous NYSE-listed companies, institutions of higher education, and not-for-profit organizations; and his innovative and extraordinary philanthropy, which included the creation of the nation’s first school for leadership studies in 1992, The Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond.

FSC alumnus Lieutenant General John M. Curran, Deputy Commanding General, Futures; and Director, United States Army Capabilities Integration Center, will introduce Jepson.

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 13:1 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-Bachelor’s institutions 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.