Furman University to hold spring commencement May 6th
April 17, 2017
Alexander Stubb, a 1993 Furman University graduate and the former Prime Minister of Finland, will serve as commencement speaker when Furman holds its graduation exercises Saturday, May 6 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.
Furman will award approximately 700 undergraduate and graduate degrees during the ceremony, which will be broadcast live via streaming video on the Furman website. The day will include an 11 a.m. baccalaureate service in McAlister Auditorium, a ceremony that is reserved for graduates and their guests and is not open to the public.
Stubb, who is currently a member of the Finnish Parliament, will also be awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree.
Stubb has served as Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Foreign Minister, Trade and Europe Minister of Finland. He was a member of the European Parliament from 2004-2008 and in the national government from 2008-16. He was the Chairman of the National Coalition Party from 2014-16.
Stubb graduated from Furman in 1993 with a degree in political science and was awarded the Bradshaw-Feaster Medal for General Excellence as the top male graduate in the senior class. He holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and has a Master’s degree from the College of Europe in Bruges. He also studied at the Sorbonne in Paris.
Stubb lives in Helsinki with his wife and two children.
Recent commencement speakers at Furman have included President George W. Bush, former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley, Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart and the late novelist Pat Conroy.
