This week, we capped off an exciting fall semester by celebrating the accomplishments of nearly 2,800 Owls who graduated during five commencement ceremonies. This was our largest fall graduating class in university history! Graduates ranged in age from 17 to 69, represented 48 countries, and included several FAU High School alumni who received their bachelor’s degrees just seven months after graduating from high school — plus one who will not graduate from FAU High until May 2018!

I had the great pleasure of presenting an honorary doctorate to Zainab Hawa Bangura, a highly respected advocate for women’s rights, political reform and conflict resolution in Africa. Until recently, Mrs. Bangura was the special representative of the United Nations Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. She was a top nominee for the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize.

During the Friday morning ceremony, we welcomed Private J.P. Gomes, who made a surprise trip home to see his wife, Selena, graduate. Private Gomes is a U.S. Army paratrooper with the 191^st Calvary in the 173^rd Airborne Brigade. He was deployed just a few months after their wedding and has been stationed in Germany for the past six months. The happy occasion already was shared by several media outlets including WPTV and the SunSentinel .

All five ceremonies were webcast and are available to view and download by clicking here.

Congratulations to the Class of 2017, and Go Owls!