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Furman to hold commencement May 10

Furman will award approximately 620 degrees during the commencement exercises.


Last updated May 1, 2014

By News administrator

Furman will award approximately 620 degrees during the commencement exercises.

Furman will award approximately 620 degrees during the commencement exercises.

Watch commencement live on streaming video

Furman University Interim President Carl Kohrt will serve as commencement speaker when the school holds its graduation exercises Saturday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Paladin Stadium.

The public is invited to attend.  In case of rain, the ceremony will be moved to Timmons Arena and admittance will be by ticket only.

Graduating senior Allie Simmons, a communication studies major from Dallas, Tex., will be the student speaker at commencement. Furman will award approximately 620 undergraduate and graduate degrees during the ceremony, which will be broadcast live via streaming video on the Furman website (www.furman.edu).

The day will include an 11 a.m. baccalaureate service in McAlister Auditorium.  That ceremony is reserved for graduates and their guests and is not open to the public.

Kohrt, who has served as the university’s Interim President since July 1, 2013, succeeded Furman’s 11th president, Rod Smolla.  He will step down from that position when Elizabeth Davis becomes Furman’s 12th president on July 1.

Kohrt graduated from Furman in 1965 with a B.S. degree in chemistry, and has been a longstanding member of Furman’s Board of Trustees, serving as its chair from 2006 to 2008.  He earned a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in Management Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Kohrt enjoyed a 29-year career at Eastman Kodak Company, retiring as Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer.  He also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Battelle Memorial Institute, one of the world’s largest, non-profit research and development corporations, from 2001 to 2008.

Simmons, a member and chaplain of Kappa Delta sorority at Furman, is actively involved in the Greenville community through various internships and volunteering opportunities. She has also dedicated much of her time to serving families and children with special needs, both in Greenville and at home. Following graduation, she will join See Spark Go, a public relations firm in Athens, Ga., as an Account Lead.

For more information, contact Furman’s News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.

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