UT to Hold 134th Commencement May 11

The University of Tampa will hold its 134th commencement on Saturday, May 11, at 9:30 a.m. at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. There will be 1,172 degree candidates, including August graduates. There are 1,008 bachelor’s degree candidates and 164 are master’s degree candidates. The ceremony is free and open to the public.

The speaker for commencement is Rick Thomas, a 1972 UT alumnus, member of the UT Athletic Hall of Fame, and CEO of Thomas Financial. Thomas Financial focuses on estate planning and wealth transfer for high net worth individuals and firms. Thomas, who is the namesake of the Thomas Parking Garage on campus, is a longtime supporter of UT.

Dorothy Estrada of Farmingdale, ME, will introduce the speaker. An environmental science major, Estrada was a President’s Leadership Fellow and worked in the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement. During her time at UT, Estrada received an Experiential Education Award to study abroad in Costa Rica and an Honors Undergraduate Research Fellowship, and has participated in three Harvard National Model UN programs.

Chadi Hamdan of the United Arab Emirates will give the challenge to the graduating class. An accounting major, Hamdan has taken part in the University’s IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and is a member of the accounting club. He worked in the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement for the past two years and has been inducted into a number of nationally and internationally recognized honor societies.

Gene and Patsy McNichols will receive the Champion of Higher Independent Education (C.H.I.E.F.) Award. Gene McNichols is chairman and CEO of McNichols Company and is the immediate past chair of the UT Board of Trustees.
The National Alumni Association Young Alumnus Award will be given to Travis Milks ’00, a vice president for Stonehenge Growth Capital in Tampa.

For more information on commencement, go to www.ut.edu/commencement. Tweet about commencement using #utampa.

Commencement by the Numbers:
Total number of graduates (Spring/Summer 2013) = 1,172
Countries represented: 58
Percent of graduates from Florida = 44.7

Undergraduates:
Total Bachelor’s degree candidates = 1,008
Summa cum Laude (GPA 4.0) = 2
Magna cum Laude (GPA 3.75–3.99) = 68
Cum Laude (GPA 3.5–3.74) = 154
Top 3 most popular undergraduate majors = Communication, Psychology, Criminology

Graduate Students:
Total Master’s candidates = 164
With Honors (GPA 3.9–3.99) = 2
With Highest Honors (GPA 4.0) = 5
MBAs awarded = 88