Purdue confers more than 10,000 degrees during spring commencement ceremonies

• President Mung Chiang’s keynote address and video of his speech
• Spring 2025 Commencement photo gallery
• Purdue commencement livestreams

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue completed its annual rite of spring with 10 commencement ceremonies held May 15-18 at Elliott Hall of Music.

For the first time, Purdue’s main campus conferred more than 10,000 degrees in a single commencement. The spring 2025 class included 7,997 undergraduates, 2,167 graduate students, 220 students from professional programs and 85 students from Purdue Polytechnic Institute’s statewide programs who were eligible to participate in the ceremonies.

Purdue’s main campus (West Lafayette, Indianapolis and online) also holds summer commencement and winter commencement each year. In addition, Purdue Fort Wayne, Purdue Global and Purdue Northwest each has its own commencement.

Per Purdue tradition, President Mung Chiang presided over the Friday through Sunday ceremonies and delivered the spring commencement speech.

The university also recognized two alumni with honorary doctorates. Ron Klemencic, chair and CEO of Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA), received an honorary Doctor of Engineering from the College of Engineering during Friday’s (May 16) Division II ceremony. Marshall Larsen, retired chair, president and CEO of Goodrich Corp., received an honorary Doctor of Business from the Mitch Daniels School of Business during Sunday’s (May 18) Division X ceremony.

The ceremonies were livestreamed on the Purdue News YouTube channel and linked on the Purdue commencement website. A photo gallery is also available.

Student responders

Each ceremony featured a student responder:

• Kendrick Hardaway of Poteau, Oklahoma, who received a Doctor of Philosophy in environmental and ecological engineering and a Master of Science in industrial engineering from the College of Engineering, was the student responder in the Thursday (May 15) afternoon (Division I) ceremony.
• Sydney Hefty of Auburn, Indiana, who received a Bachelor of Science in agribusiness from the College of Agriculture, was the student responder in the Friday (May 16) morning (Division II) ceremony.
• Luke Ford of Chicago, who received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering, was the student responder in the Friday (May 16) afternoon (Division III) ceremony.
• Abigail Mizzi of Bloomingdale, Illinois, who received a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the College of Engineering, was the student responder in the Friday (May 16) evening (Division IV) ceremony.
• Allison Boyd of Washington, Indiana, who received a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering technology from Purdue’s Polytechnic Institute, was the student responder in the Saturday (May 17) morning (Division V) ceremony.
• Snigdha Mishra of Milpitas, California, who received a Bachelor of Science in data science from the College of Science, was the student responder in the Saturday (May 17) afternoon (Division VI) ceremony.
• Alex Worthing of Ogallala, Nebraska, who received a dual Bachelor of Science in planetary sciences and atmospheric science from the College of Science, was the student responder in the Saturday (May 17) evening (Division VII) ceremony.
• Shelby Sliger of Lafayette, Indiana, who received a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from the College of Agriculture, was the student responder in the Sunday (May 18) morning (Division VIII) ceremony.
• Jessica Kobrick of Lake in the Hills, Illinois, who received a Bachelor of Science in psychological sciences from the College of Health and Human Sciences, was the student responder in the Sunday (May 18) afternoon (Division IX) ceremony.
• Sam Wadlington of Sugar Land, Texas, who received a Bachelor of Science in integrated business and engineering from the Mitch Daniels School of Business, was the student responder in the Sunday (May 18) evening (Division X) ceremony.

Honorary doctorates

Klemencic is a globally recognized innovator and leading expert in high-rise structural engineering sought after for his creativity, big-picture approach and ability to consistently produce cost-effective and inventive designs.

In addition to serving as chair and CEO of MKA, he is a director of the Charles Pankow Foundation, the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations Foundation and the MKA Foundation, where he champions the research and development of new technologies that further the structural engineering profession.

Klemencic has played a key role in numerous innovations throughout his career, including performance-based seismic design, the development and successful application of the SpeedCore structural system, and advancements to both performance-based wind and structural fire design.

He is a distinguished member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and serves on its Industry Leaders Council. He is also a recipient of the organization’s OPAL award for design and Dennis L. Tewksbury Award for outstanding service to the Structural Engineering Institute. He is an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects and was awarded the Fazlur R. Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. 

Klemencic earned a Master of Science in structural engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1986 and a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Purdue in 1985.

Larsen began his 35-year career at Goodrich as an operations analyst in 1977 and quickly advanced through various leadership roles. In 1995 he was named executive vice president of Goodrich as well as the president and chief operating officer of Goodrich Aerospace. In 2003 Larsen was tapped for the top leadership position as chair, president and CEO — a role that he held until 2012, when Goodrich was acquired by United Technologies Corp., now Raytheon.

Larsen is regarded for his ability to create long-term value for companies in a global and corporately responsible marketplace. In 2013 Harvard Business Review named Larsen one of the top 100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World.

He currently serves on the board of directors for Air Lease Corp. and has held prominent board member positions throughout his career, serving as chair of the U.S. Aerospace Industries Association and on the board of directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Becton Dickinson and Co., Lowe’s Cos. Inc. and Raytheon, among many others.

Larsen earned a Bachelor of Science in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1970 and served six years in the military, graduating from both the Army Airborne and Army Ranger schools. He earned a Master of Science in industrial administration from Purdue University in 1977.

Larsen and his wife, Susan, established the Marshall and Susan Larsen Leadership Academy in the Mitch Daniels School of Business in 2018. The academy helps undergraduate students develop leadership skills through cocurricular experiences, coaching and mentoring.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.