3:00 p.m.: Approximately 675 undergraduate business students take part in the Commencement Ceremonies on May 2, 2006.
7:30 p.m.: Chapman Graduate School Commencement Ceremony, held on May 2, 2006, is celebrated by graduates throughout Pharmed Arena.
Alumnus Gerald C. Grant (MBA ’79, BBA ’78), director of corporate and individual financial planning, AXA Advisors LLC, South Florida, receives Florida International University’s Medallion during the Commencement Ceremony on May 2, 2006.
Amid the traditional pageantry of commencement, approximately 675 undergraduates and 150 graduate students from the College of Business Administration received their diplomas on May 2, 2006. In the afternoon ceremony, undergraduate degrees were conferred to all but those from the School of Accounting. In the evening, business masters and doctoral diplomas, along with those for undergraduates in the School of Accounting and the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, were handed out. Executive Dean Joyce J. Elam spoke at both ceremonies.
Elam focuses on achievements: past and forthcoming.
In her remarks, Elam called attention to the fact that the students had reached this milestone while they fulfilled many other commitments: to jobs and family, for example. Recapping the college’s many achievements in its drive to become one of the top urban, public business schools in the nation, she credited the students—along with the college’s programs and faculty—for their contributions to the college’s growing reputation.
She also talked about the future.
“I urge you to keep thinking about what you wish to achieve and how you plan to develop and use your gifts, talents, and knowledge in the years ahead,” she said. “And, always remember that obligation to give back to your country, your community, and your university comes with the privilege of the education you have received.”
Robert Hogner emphasizes commitment to community.
Robert Hogner, associate professor of management and international business, director of the college’s Civic Engagement Initiative, and senior honors fellow, spoke at the evening ceremony. Like Dean Elam, he zeroed in on service, using the image of helping hands drawn from sociologist James Stockinger, who describes the many times that helping hands save others.
“I ask all of you to think about and act—personally and professionally—in a manner which recognizes the immense responsibility we all carry, that of offering our hands to all those we can so that they, too, may share, as you are today, in the celebration of individual accomplishments,” he said. “You may offer your hands to the homeless in Miami, to the poor in Sri Lanka, to those orphaned by our actions in Iraq, or, as our international business students do, to disadvantaged children in Thailand. But, wherever, however, offer your hands.”
Business Alumni Chapter co-hosts post-graduation party.
For the second consecutive time, the Business Alumni Chapter and the college sponsored a reception immediately after the afternoon ceremony. The party provided an opportunity for graduates to celebrate with family and friends. As the very newest alumni, they had the chance to learn more about the Business Alumni Chapter, which offers monthly networking events, career development conferences, executive speaker events, and discounts to professional development programs, among other benefits.
