The 51st Annual Eckerd College Commencement will take place Sunday, May 18 at 8 a.m. on campus at South Beach Field under the largest tent of its kind in Florida.
Nearly 600 students will graduate, including nearly 440 residential students and more than 140 students in the Program for Experienced Learners.
The commencement speaker will be Melissa Harris-Perry, political scientist and host of the MSNBC weekend program Melissa Harris-Perry. She is the author of Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes and Black Women in America and recently was named a Presidential Chair at Wake Forest University, her alma mater. She is the aunt of graduating Eckerd senior Christina Smith. Dr. Harris-Perry also will receive an honorary degree from Eckerd.
Graduates and their friends and family are encouraged to use the hashtag #Eckerd14 to share their photos on social media.
Doughnuts and coffee, beginning at 7 a.m., will be served adjacent to the field. Complimentary water will also be available for guests throughout the ceremony.
Eckerd Commencement By the Numbers
586 Total number of graduates
437 Number of residential graduates
149 Number of Program for Experience Learners graduates
41 Number of states represented
10 Number of countries represented
34,000 Square feet of commencement tent
3,600 Number of Krispy Kreme Donuts ordered for commencement
