Florida Southern College hosted its Spring 2024 Commencement exercise on May 4th at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, which was the 140th Commencement exercise for the College and welcomed the largest graduating class in the history of the College.
The keynote speaker for this year’s ceremony was Dr. Ed Crenshaw, Chairman Emeritus, Publix Super Markets, Inc. and Trustee of Florida Southern College. Dr. Crenshaw holds an Honorary Doctorate of Business from Florida Southern College and serves as the chairman of the Florida Southern College Barnett Business School Advisory Board. He joined Publix Super Markets in 1974 as a stock clerk in Lake Wales, Florida and worked in various retail roles, including being a store manager. His corporate experience included working in the purchasing function. He served as President from 1996-2008, CEO from 2008-2016, and Chairman of the Board from 2016-2023.
The largest graduating class in Florida Southern history, 551 students were awarded their degrees (470 undergraduate and 81 graduate students) including 279 from the School of Arts and Sciences, 105 from the Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise, 72 from the Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences, and 14 from the School of Education. 274 students are graduating with honors: 88 cum laude, 86 magna cum laude; and 100 summa cum laude.
Students in this class join recent graduates accepted to law, medical, dental, and veterinary schools, and distinguished graduate programs. These graduates also have attained prestigious positions as managers in Fortune 500 companies, as caregivers in hospitals, as teachers in our schools, as members of the nation’s armed services, as actors and musicians on stages, and as clergy in ministries around the world.
The senior speaker was Colton Dawson, Business Administration major with a minor in Integrated Marketing Communications. During the ceremony, Florida Southern presented the President’s Scholar Medal for superb academic achievement, which is not revealed before Commencement. The Miller Award, Omicron Delta Kappa Outstanding Teacher Award, and the Ruthven Outstanding Leadership Award were also presented during the ceremony.
This marked Dr. Anne B. Kerr’s final Commencement as President of Florida Southern College after announcing her retirement earlier this year. Dr. Robert L. Fryer, Jr. ’70, Chairman of the Florida Southern College Board of Trustees, announced the appointment of Dr. Anne B. Kerr as President Emerita, upon the announcement of her retirement. The 17th President of Florida Southern, Kerr has served for 20 years transforming the College academically and physically, achieving a trajectory that has brought national recognition for excellence in academic programs, engaged learning, NCAA Division II athletics, and preservation and stewardship of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.
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.
