Spring Commencement 2023
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. The ceremony is open to graduates and ticketed guests and will be streamed live. 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.
