Stetson University will honor nearly 1,000 graduates at three Commencement ceremonies this month in DeLand and at the College of Law in Gulfport near St. Petersburg.

In DeLand, Stetson will award bachelor’s and master’s degrees to more than 600 students in two Commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday, May 9-10, in the Spec Martin Memorial Stadium, 260 E. Euclid Ave. 

During the ceremonies, graduates are individually recognized for their achievements as they walk across the stage and their names are called. Master’s degree candidates also are honored through the traditional hooding.

At the College of Law, more than 300 students are eligible to receive their law degrees at the Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 17, at 8:30 a.m. in the Plaza Mayor on campus at 1401 61st Street South in Gulfport.

“These are defining moments in the lives of our graduates,” said Stetson University President Christopher F. Roellke, PhD. “The Class of 2025 may be leaving Stetson, but I am confident they will step into the world with the knowledge, skills and values to forge successful careers and lives.”

Stetson has a long tradition of selecting top students in each graduating class to give the keynote addresses at the Commencement ceremonies in DeLand. The ceremonies will be held:

• Friday, May 9, at 7 p.m. for students earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the College of Arts and Sciences.

• Saturday, May 10, at 8:30 a.m. for students earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the School of Business Administration and bachelor’s degrees from the School of Music.

The ceremonies will take place rain or shine. Tickets are required for all guests, ages three and older, at no charge. Visit the 2025 Commencement website for more details. The ceremonies will be livestreamed through Stetson Broadcast Productions.

At the College of Law’s Commencement ceremony, the keynote speaker will be Ying White, a 1997 graduate of Stetson Law and a partner at the global law firm Clifford Chance LLP, where she heads its China Investment Funds and Investment Management Practice. 

Before joining Clifford Chance, Ying was a legal counsel at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., for seven years working with many central banks of the World Bank’s member countries.

In case of inclement weather, the College of Law Commencement ceremony will move to the First Baptist Church, 1900 Gandy Blvd N. in St. Petersburg, and begin at 10 a.m. For more information, visit the College of Law’s Spring 2025 Commencement website. A livestream link to watch the ceremony will be posted at the top of the College of Law website on the morning of Commencement.

-Stetson Today