Florida State's fall 2022 commencement speakers gear up to talk to thousands of graduating students

Two of Florida State University’s very own accomplished alumni with significant marks on campus have been chosen as keynote speakers for FSU’s fall commencement ceremony in December.

William T. Hold, namesake of the FSU College of Business’s risk management and insurance program, will be speaking at the university's first ceremony being held at 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9 at the Tucker Civic Center and Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor Maxine Montgomery will be speaking at 7 p.m. during the second commencement of the festive day.

The university expects to have over 3,000 fall graduates while over 2,000 are expected to participate in the Friday ceremonies.

As both speakers prepare speeches to deliver to a crowd of students and their families, Montgomery — whose professorship is the highest honor given to a professor by colleagues at FSU — took a stroll down memory lane to reflect on the experiences she went through to share them in hopes of empowering the new graduates.

The ceremony will be her first time as a keynote speaker at FSU’s commencement.

“What I did in preparing my commencement remarks is survey the path that has brought me full circle back to my alma mater,” said Montgomery, a two-time FSU alumna who received her bachelor’s degree in English education in 1980 and her master’s degree in English in 1982.

Florida State University Professor of English Maxine Montgomery
Florida State University Professor of English Maxine Montgomery

Montgomery went on to earn her doctorate in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before going back to FSU as a faculty member in 1988. She is currently the chair of the President’s Task Force on Anti-Racism, Equity & Inclusion at FSU, where she leads and supports efforts for more diversity and equality within the university’s community.

Outside of the FSU realms, Montgomery has authored several books that include her most recent work, "The Postapocalyptic Black Female Imagination," and she received a $100,000 research grant in 2021 to digitize the work of American novelist Gloria Naylor.

More on Montgomery:

Montgomery’s accomplishments are an embodiment of what she hopes FSU’s fall graduating class walks away with after hearing her speech.

“I want them to keep in mind the fact that they are much more than the sum of a degree or a program and that their post-graduation potential far exceeds the degree requirements that they have fulfilled at Florida State University,” Montgomery said. “They should move forward in an attempt to make a positive difference in their workplace, in the community and in the world at large.”

Related news: Morgan & Morgan law firm founder, political activist tapped as FAMU commencement speaker

Prior to Montgomery’s speech during the Friday evening commencement will be Hold’s address to students that afternoon when he plans to connect with them through his own experience of being an FSU alumnus who earned his bachelor’s degree in business in 1963.

Hold explained his approach to getting ready to speak to the FSU students as they will be celebrating one of the biggest accomplishments of their lives.

“I asked myself what's important for them to hear, what were the things that helped me be relatively successful and what things have I learned to try to pass all of that on in a very short order,” Hold said.

William T. Hold is an FSU alumnus and the founder of the FSU College of Business’s risk management and insurance program.
William T. Hold is an FSU alumnus and the founder of the FSU College of Business’s risk management and insurance program.

After earning both his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and teaching there as well as at the University of Texas, Hold co-founded The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research, which he is currently the president of.

Hold has upheld the status of being a heavyweight donor at the university by contributing a $5 million gift to the program in 2012 and also donating $1 million to FSU football in 2020. He was also presented with an honorary doctoral degree while John Thrasher was FSU’s president.

FSU President John Thrasher, left, and William T. Hold, who was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters on March 11, 2021.
FSU President John Thrasher, left, and William T. Hold, who was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters on March 11, 2021.

“The best and most viable asset you have is you,” Hold said. “You can be very successful when other people don't believe in you, but you're never going to be successful if you don't believe in yourself.”

Besides the commencement ceremonies being held at FSU, Florida A&M University will celebrate its graduating students at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9 at the Lawson Center with keynote speaker John Morgan, founder of Morgan & Morgan law firm.

Tallahassee Community College will hold its summer and fall commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8 at the Tucker Civic Center.

Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_. 

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State's fall 2022 commencement speakers gear up to talk to graduating students