More than 10,500 graduates to celebrate UF's spring 2024 commencement

WHAT: The University of Florida’s 2024 spring commencement ceremonies

WHEN/WHERE: UF's university-wide commencement ceremony is scheduled for Friday, May 3. This ceremony is at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium from 7 to 9 p.m. Individual college ceremonies begin May 1 and conclude May 6. Commencement schedule details are available at https://commencement.ufl.edu/spring/event-schedule/

BACKGROUND: More than 10,500 UF students have applied for their degrees this spring.

UF alumnus Carlton Ward Jr., a conservation photographer known for his photos of the elusive Florida panther and the leading advocate of the Florida Wildlife Corridor to conserve the state’s natural lands and native species, will serve as UF’s university-wide commencement speaker this spring in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Ward, an eighth-generation Floridian and National Geographic Explorer photographer, is the author, most recently, of “Path of the Panther: New Hope for Wild Florida” and was featured in a National Geographic documentary of the same name.

Further, Dr. Gilbert R. Upchurch Jr., a UF vascular surgeon, chair of the department of surgery, and member of the National Academy of Medicine, will be the keynote speaker at Thursday’s doctoral commencement.

Upchurch is an acclaimed clinician, researcher, and educator in the treatment of aortic and vascular disease and is editor or associate editor of 17 books.

POTENTIAL WEATHER IMPACT: In the event of rain, graduates will be provided with a clear poncho to wear over their robes. The university will communicate with graduates and the public if lightning or severe weather results in the university-wide ceremony being postponed or canceled.  

Note regarding Friday’s ceremony: Members of the news media will need a credential to attend commencement (provided on site) to be on the field. Media check-in for Friday’s ceremony will be open from 6 to 6:30 p.m. inside the elevator lobby on the north side of the Skybox Tower near Gate 3. (Signage above the lobby door reads “Media/Disabled Seating Deck Entrance.”) Media who wish to gain access to the sidelines must pick up credentials, go through security and be in place by 6:45 p.m. To request credentials, contact Blake Trauschke, public relations specialist, at btrauschke@ufl.edu or 352-273-3828.