FSU to celebrate 2025 summer commencement Aug. 1
Florida State University will hold its summer commencement ceremonies on Friday, Aug. 1. FSU Trustee Jim Henderson and Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor Pamela Keel will address the graduates.
The day will begin with a doctoral hooding ceremony at 9 a.m., followed by two ceremonies — at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. — for bachelor’s, master’s and specialist degrees. President Richard McCullough will preside over all three ceremonies, which will take place at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, 505 W. Pensacola St.
The university expects to award 1,692 bachelor’s degrees, 881 master’s and specialist degrees, 183 doctoral degrees, 4 Juris doctor degrees, 93 Juris master’s degrees and 2 LLM degrees. About 1,850 graduates are planning to participate in the ceremonies.
Jim Henderson, a Florida State alumnus and successful entrepreneur, will speak at the 2 p.m. ceremony. He grew up in Wakulla County and worked full-time while attending FSU, earning his degree in accounting and economics in 1969. After a long career that included executive roles at Brown & Brown Insurance and Ormond Reinsurance Group, he founded AssuredPartners in 2011. Today it is one of the largest insurance brokerage firms in the country, with more than 11,000 employees, $3 billion in annual revenue and offices across North America and Europe.
Henderson serves on FSU’s Board of Trustees, where he chairs the Finance and Business Committee. He and his wife, Carole, are generous supporters of Seminole athletics and academics. They have contributed major gifts to help build Legacy Hall, the future home of the College of Business.
The 2 p.m. ceremony will include graduates from the Dedman College of Hospitality, Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, College of Applied Studies, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, College of Social Sciences & Public Policy, College of Business, College of Music, and Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.
Pamela Keel, a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Psychology and FSU’s 2025-2026 Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor — the highest honor FSU faculty bestow on one of their own — will speak at the 7 p.m. ceremony.
She is an internationally recognized expert on eating disorders and body image, known for identifying purging disorder as a distinct diagnosis. Her work spans biology, psychology, culture and media, and she has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles and four books.
Since joining FSU in 2008, Keel has brought in more than $55 million in research funding and has led or co-led multiple NIH initiatives, including a $235 million program to support the biomedical research workforce. She co-directs an NIH institutional training grant that supports the next generation of clinical neuroscientists. She’s also a nationally celebrated mentor and has earned five major mentorship awards in the past two years. Her former students now teach at top universities across the country.
Graduates from the College of Medicine, College of Motion Picture Arts, College of Fine Arts, College of Communication & Information, College of Law, College of Nursing, College of Criminology & Criminal Justice, College of Social Work and College of Arts and Sciences will be recognized during the 7 p.m. ceremony.
Every FSU graduate is automatically recognized as a member of the FSU Alumni Association; no dues are required. Alumni are encouraged to participate and get involved at alumni.fsu.edu.
For more information and live streaming links, visit commencement.fsu.edu.