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Florida Polytechnic University rescheduled their Spring 2020 Commencement to Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. The original ceremony, scheduled for May 3, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Florida Poly announces new date for Spring 2020 Commencement

April 15, 2020

Florida Polytechnic University announced that its Spring 2020 graduates will get their chance to walk to Pomp and Circumstance at a special commencement ceremony scheduled for Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. The event will be held at the RP Funding Center, located at 701 W. Lime St. in Lakeland.

The COVID-19 pandemic shifted all universities to remote instruction for the rest of the 2019-2020 academic year. It also forced the cancellation of all in-person events on and off campus, including the Spring 2020 Commencement. The ceremony was originally scheduled for Sunday, May 3.

“We want to make sure our graduates have the opportunity to celebrate this major milestone with their friends and family,” said Randy K. Avent, president of Florida Poly. “These students are resilient in the way they’ve adapted to every challenge, and we want them to know that the current situation does not take away from their accomplishments.”

About 200 Florida Poly undergraduate and graduate students are expected to earn their degree this spring and participate in the December ceremony.

Renowned Florida entrepreneur Tom E. Wallace has agreed to continue as the commencement speaker. Wallace is a managing partner at Florida Funders, a Florida-focused investor network and online investing platform based in Tampa.

 

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Lydia Guzman
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Session Details

This session will demonstrate that practical risk management is for everyone, regardless of a formal program. Attendees will learn actionable and simple strategies that are easy to implement, enabling them to start immediately by focusing on their top risks to build greater operational resilience and ensure the sustained success of their auxiliary enterprises.

Presenter Profile

Michelle Powell serves as the pioneering Risk Manager at Florida Polytechnic University, the state’s sole 100% STEM-dedicated institution. Having been with the university for nearly 11 years, Michelle transitioned from a leadership role in Admissions in October 2023 to establish and evolve the risk management function from the ground up. In this solo capacity, Michelle builds robust frameworks for our dynamic, young university, overseeing our insurance portfolio, consulting on third-party and event risks, and developing critical campus-wide training programs. Michelle has obtained the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) Enterprise Risk Management certificate and the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) and Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designations. Her distinct background in mathematics and engineering, combined with extensive higher education leadership, brings an analytical and strategic approach enhancing the institution’s resilience.