Entrepreneur and UF president to address graduates

Sachio Semmoto to keynote doctoral commencement; Kent Fuchs to give final address at university wide ceremony

Two leaders celebrated for their achievements and warmth will be the commencement speakers at Spring Commencement at the University of Florida in May.

Sachio Semmoto, a UF alumnus and entrepreneur who founded one of the largest telecommunications companies in Japan, will address graduates at the Doctoral Commencement Ceremony at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 1 in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

Kent Fuchs, who returned as interim president of UF last August after serving from 2015 to 2023, will speak at the University-Wide Commencement Ceremony at 7 p.m. May 2 in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

This spring’s graduating class brings to 500,000-plus the number of living Gator alumni, a milestone that will be celebrated as part of commencement weekend activities.

“Commencement is a wonderful acknowledgement and celebration of our graduates and their hard work and accomplishment in earning their UF degrees, and this milestone makes it even more special,” Fuchs said. “It will be a joy for Sachio and me to congratulate the members of the Class of 2025 and send them off on their next amazing adventures.”

Semmoto, who received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from UF in 1971, is an entrepreneur who has held senior leadership positions with several leading Japanese telecommunication companies.
 
He co­founded Japan's first private telecommunications startup, now called KDDI, in the early 1980s. KDDI is the second largest telecommunications company in Japan. He serves as the Executive Chairman of RENOVA, Inc., Japan's leader in renewable energy.

He will receive the Honorary Doctorate in Technology at the doctoral ceremony.

Fuchs, UF’s 12th president, has presided over 120 commencement ceremonies and launched the tradition of the university wide ceremony in 2018. He will deliver his final commencement address at the May 2 university wide ceremony.

UF joined the nation’s top-10 public research universities during his tenure and is now ranked 7th. The university has created and filled hundreds of new faculty positions, raised more than $5B in philanthropy, added more than 2.8 million square feet of new facilities, and topped $1.2 billion in annual research. Applications by high school students to UF have tripled, now topping 90,000.

At this spring’s ceremony, instead of being seated by college, students are encouraged to sit with their friend or acquaintances. In keeping with tradition, the ceremony is being held in addition to college ceremonies where every graduate is individually recognized.

All told, nearly 11,000 students are projected to graduate at Spring Commencement. Graduates are expected to attend both the university wide ceremony, at which bachelor’s, master’s and specialists degrees will be conferred, and their college recognition ceremony, where they will be individually recognized for their accomplishment.

More information is available at www.commencement.ufl.edu.