Lynn University will host its 2019 Commencement May 11 at the Palm Beach Convention Center in downtown West Palm Beach. Over 7,000 graduates, friends, families, and university faculty and staff will attend this year’s event.
“For the first time, we’ll hold commencement off campus so we can make more room for friends and families to celebrate this special day,” said Lynn President Kevin M. Ross. “This is our largest graduating class in over 10 years, thanks to a steady increase in enrollment and graduation rates.”
The university expects to award over 900 associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees this academic year—an increase of nearly 50% in the last decade.
Graduates will receive words of wisdom from fellow students Alexandra Rafferty-Flugel ’19, graduating with a Master of Science in communication and media, and Shawn Howard Johnson ’19, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in multimedia journalism.
Rafferty-Flugel has over 20 years of experience in the public relations, film and TV industries. She earned an Emmy nomination for her work with The Children’s Museum of Boca Raton. Rafferty-Flugel served as a director and producer for Inside Edition, America's Most Wanted, Extra WB and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Today, she writes and directs national BrandStar programs including Inside the Blue Print and Military Makeover with Montel Williams.
A member of the President’s Honor Society, Johnson served as editor-in-chief of student-run news organization iPulse and contributed articles to local news outlets. He interned with Comic Cure, a company that hosts comedy shows to benefit nonprofit organizations, and The Wick Theatre in Boca Raton. Johnson also contributed to Lynn’s career center and admission efforts. He created a recruiting program for home-schooled applicants.
In addition, President Ross will present the Distinguished Alumni Award to Michael Kitts ’03 for his work with the National Basketball Association’s Golden State Warriors and his dedication to the next generation of Lynn students.
American best-selling author James Patterson is Lynn’s 2019 Commencement speaker. The ceremony is an invitation-only, ticketed event and will be broadcast live on Facebook.