Florida Tech Spring Commencement Set for May 4 at Clemente Center

Adam Lowenstein April 24, 2019

University to Hold Three Ceremonies to
Better Accommodate Graduates and Families

MELBOURNE, FLA. — Florida Tech will confer nearly 1,300 degrees upon students from the U.S. and around the world May 4 as the university holds its spring commencement ceremonies.

For the first time, there will be three ceremonies as Florida Tech seeks to accommodate the large graduating class and students’ families.

9 a.m., 380 undergraduate College of Engineering and Science students will receive diplomas.
1 p.m., 351 College of Engineering and Science graduate students and undergraduate and graduate students from the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts will receive diplomas.
5 p.m., 313 undergraduate and graduate students from the College of Aeronautics students, Bisk College of Business students and Extended Studies students will receive diplomas.

All ceremonies will take place at the Charles and Ruth Clemente Center, 150 W. University Blvd.

In total, the university will bestow 1,276 degrees.

At the 9 a.m. ceremony, Florida Tech President Dwayne McCay will welcome Lance Bush, president and CEO of the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, as keynote speaker. He will welcome alumnus Jonathan Zung, a former member of the Florida Tech Board of Trustees, as keynote speaker for the 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. ceremonies. Zung is an experienced pharmaceutical industry executive with more than 25 years of development experience.

McCay will offer opening remarks at each ceremony.

At the 1 p.m. ceremony, McCay will confer an honorary degree on Florida Tech benefactor Carl Bottcher. Mr. Bottcher and his wife, JoAnn, funded the Carl and JoAnn Bottcher Endowed Scholarship, which assists engineering students.

The Spring Class of 2019 is one of the most internationally diverse of any class in recent years: there are students from 83 countries, from Albania to Zimbabwe (one student each). Other countries represented by a lone student include Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Iceland, Latvia, Romania and Saint Vincent & Grenadines. The countries with the largest contingent of graduates are China, India and Saudi Arabia.

There are 40 U.S. states represented in the Spring Class of 2019, including more than 330 from Florida alone. States with a lone representative include Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana and Oregon.

For more information and details on the live Web broadcast of the ceremonies, go to https://www.fit.edu/graduation/spring-commencement/.

To arrange for access and interviews, please contact Director of Media Communications Adam Lowenstein by 1 p.m. Friday, May 3, at adam@fit.edu or 321-674-8964.

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