UCF will award nearly 6,500 degrees during four commencement ceremonies at Addition Financial Arena Dec. 13-14. This group of highly skilled graduates are prepared to fill roles in high-demand fields across our region and throughout Florida.
This year’s ceremonies will feature speeches from four influential Central Florida leaders: Thad Seymour Jr., former UCF interim president and executive; Ken Robinson, president and CEO of Dr. Phillips Inc. and The Dr. P. Phillips Foundation; Mark Penning, vice president of Walt Disney World’s Animals, Science and Environment team; and interdisciplinary studies alumnus Cole NeSmith ’07, founder and artistic director of the Creative City Project.
Of the degrees UCF expects to award, 5,308 are bachelor’s, 989 are master’s and 92 are doctoral degrees. UCF will also award 108 graduate certificates, and commencement speakers Seymour Jr. and Robinson will receive honorary degrees in recognition of their transformative contributions to education, healthcare innovation, community development and more throughout Central Florida.
Overall, UCF anticipates awarding 1,793 degrees in STEM fields — including 949 in engineering and computer science — as well as 941 in business-related fields, 267 in hospitality-related fields, 191 in nursing, 101 in biomedical sciences, and 34 in digital and emerging media.
About 44% of the bachelor’s degree recipients are eligible for Pell Grants, which total 2,872 graduates, showcasing the university’s commitment to social mobility. Additionally, 1,648 bachelor’s degrees will be awarded to first-generation students who will be the first in their families to graduate from college.
Commencement Festivities
Held in Addition Financial Arena, the fall commencement will take place Dec. 13-14.
All guests, including children and infants, need a ticket for admission. All graduates who have filed an intent to graduate will receive five commencement tickets for their ceremony when they pick up their regalia packet.
Guests who do not have tickets may watch the live ceremony via a simulcast viewing in the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center and the Student Union. Ceremonies will also be livestreamed on UCF’s YouTube channel.
Commencement Photo-ops Across UCF
Main Campus
Three different photo-ops on UCF’s main campus are available for students to celebrate their accomplishments.
The Reflecting Pond is one of the most iconic spots on campus for grad photos. Strike a pose and make memories through Dec. 16.
Graduating Knights will also be able to take photos in FBC Mortgage Stadium from 10 a.m. to 4p.m., Dec. 10-12. Please enter through Gate 13B (Carl Black & Gold Cabana) to access the stadium. Taking photos on the field is prohibited.
On Thursday, Dec. 12, 2:30-7 p.m., fall graduates are invited for a photo-op — Grad Walk — within Addition Financial Arena. This will be a first-come, first-served occasion for graduates and up to 10 of their well-wishers to take photos and videos on the ceremony stage. Graduates are required to register here. Complimentary parking is available in Garage D.
UCF Downtown
UCF Downtown offers several great locations for unforgettable graduation photos. Here’s our top picks of the best spots to memorialize your academic achievement.
Celebrate your college journey by honoring your support system at the Dr. Phillips Academic Commons West Lobby donor wall. Use the iconic phrase, “If you want to go far, go together,” on the donor wall as a backdrop to pay homage to those who helped you along the way.
The Seneff Plaza, located between the East and West Wings of Dr. Phillips Academic Commons, is where so many campus events and gatherings take place. The towering columns and reflective glass of Dr. Phillips Academic Commons capture the modern campus where you worked so hard to earn your degree.
Enhance your graduation photos by venturing beyond campus into the surrounding Orlando area. You barely have to step off campus to encounter the iconic Orlando sign located at Luminary Green Park. The 2.3-acre park features a large, welcoming lawn that leads up to the oversized “Orlando” letters at the end of the park, creating the ideal environment to mark your time in The City Beautiful.
Commencement Schedule
Graduates and guests can review the below commencement ceremony schedule, listing colleges, ceremony dates and streaming links:
College of Business Administration
College of Engineering and Computer Science
College of Optics and Photonics
College of Graduate Studies
College of Health Professions and Sciences
College of Medicine
College of Nursing
College of Undergraduate Studies
College of Sciences
College of Arts and Humanities
College of Community Innovation and Education
Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Commencement Speakers
Thad Seymour Jr.
Dec. 13, 9 a.m.
Proving that following a “crooked path” has its merits, Thad Seymour Jr. began his career in a high school classroom, going on to earn a doctoral degree in history. Bitten by the business bug, Seymour Jr. ventured into health technology innovation. He led strategy for the Tavistock Group at Lake Nona Medical City, which includes the UCF College of Medicine and the soon-to-open Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion, along with billions of dollars invested in hospitals, research facilities, and cutting-edge health and life sciences companies.
After years of collaborating with UCF, Seymour Jr. joined the university to lead the development of its 2016 strategic plan. He then led the effort to build and open the UCF Downtown campus, served as chief innovation officer and concluded his UCF career as interim president from February 2019 to April 2020, in partnership with his extraordinary wife, Katie. Seymour Jr. earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College, master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin, and an MBA from Northwestern University. He and Katie are the proud parents of three grown children and have one grandchild (so far).
Ken Robinson
Dec. 13, 2 p.m.
Ken Robinson is the president and CEO of Dr. Phillips Inc. and The Dr. P. Phillips Foundation, where he focuses on upholding the values and legacy of the Phillips family. He oversees the organization’s real estate operations, an extensive investment portfolio and one of Central Florida’s largest grant-making entities, with over $257 million donated to the region.
Robinson is dedicated to Central Florida, actively supporting various nonprofits. He serves as president of the Committee of 100 of Orange County and is a member-at-large for the AdventHealth Foundation Central Florida. Additionally, he’s the director of the 4Roots Foundation and is a member of the Central Florida YMCA Metro Board and the Florida Council of 100. He has also held leadership roles with the Florida Citrus Bowl and the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. A proud supporter of higher education, he values his connections to the Florida State University College of Business and his hometown university, the University of Central Florida.
Mark Penning
Dec. 14, 9 a.m.
Mark Penning is vice president of animals, science and environment at Disney Experiences. He oversees animal care and environmental sustainability at Disney sites around the globe. Penning also leads the teams that manage Disney field conservation efforts and the responsible portrayal of animals and nature in film and television productions.
A veterinarian by training, Penning has a special interest in wildlife. He served as CEO of the South African Association for Marine Biological Research in Durban, South Africa, and has held roles as president of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums and board member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Today, Penning sits on the board of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International and is a trustee of Wild Welfare, an animal welfare organization.
Cole NeSmith ’07
Dec. 14, 2 p.m.
Cole NeSmith ’07 is an experience curator, writer, musician, actor and speaker. He’s the founder and artistic director of the Creative City Project in addition to being the co-founder and chief creative officer of The Memoir Agency. Through these two companies, NeSmith works to make every place and moment meaningful through epic events and immersive experiences. Each year, Cole helps create unique artistic experiences that reach hundreds of thousands of guests in Central Florida and beyond, including Dazzling Nights Holiday events, Happy Frights and Haunting Nights Halloween events, one-of-a-kind corporate and client experiences, and innovative arts programming as part of the annual Creative City Project season.
NeSmith started the Creative City Project, an award-winning arts nonprofit, in 2012 to elevate Orlando’s creative stature and help shape the global perception of Orlando as a place known for creativity and innovation. Through The Memoir Agency, NeSmith and his team create “immersive master plans,” helping cities and developers build irresistible places to live, work and visit. Through artistic activations, NeSmith helps municipal leaders design cities that bring meaning to people’s lives every day. Actively involved in Orlando’s cultural transformation, he’s been recognized as one of Orlando Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful People in Orlando, featured among Orlando Business Journal (OBJ)’s Power Players and included in OBJ’s 40 Under 40 list. NeSmith also regularly contributes to the Orlando Sentinel’s Central Florida 100. As a performing artist, he has appeared in professional theater, works of classical and contemporary music, film and TV.
For more details and FAQs about Fall 2024 commencement celebrations, visit ucf.edu/graduation.
- NASA Selects Firefly Aerospace to Deliver UCF’s Lunar-VISE Payload to the MoonFirefly Aerospace is one of the American vendors NASA is partnering with to deliver payloads to the lunar surface through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.
- James Webb Space Telescope Offers Best Glimpse Ever Into the Icy Planetesimals of the Early Solar SystemNew studies of trans-Neptunian objects reveal how their colors and surface reflectance today are linked to their formation locations in the early solar system.
- UCF Health Faculty Physicians Are Orlando’s Finest DoctorsUCF Health physicians not only care for patients, but also serve as College of Medicine faculty, educating students, residents and fellows, while advancing research.
- Uncovering a Centaur’s Tracks: UCF Scientists Examine Unique Asteroid-Comet HybridUCF researchers used the James Webb Space Telescope to reveal one-of-a-kind attributes of (2060) Chiron, a distant “centaur” in space sharing properties of both a comet and an asteroid, giving clues to our Solar System’s origins in a newly published study.
- UCF Joins Digital Twin Consortium as Regional Branch OrganizerThe Digital Twin Consortium, established in 2020, is a widely recognized authority in digital twin technology.
- New Future Faculty Laureates Program to Prepare Students for Academic CareersThe program prepares qualified electrical engineering and computer science doctoral students to work at Research 1 universities.
