Ohio State awards more than 1,500 degrees at summer commencement
The Schottenstein Center filled with graduates and guests on Sunday for the university’s 419th commencement. During the summer ceremony, traditionally the smallest of Ohio State’s three annual graduations, the university awarded 1,521 degrees.
President Drake presided over the ceremony, and Alan Michaels, dean of the Moritz College of Law, delivered the commencement address.
Michaels offered some serious and some not-so-serious advice to graduates. The not-so-serious: “First, never try to carry a sofa upstairs by yourself. Second, don’t argue with crazy people. And third, don’t get involved with a Capricorn unless you mean it.”
His serious advice for graduates focused on their attitudes about life going forward. “It’s a long life, and life is short.” The seemingly contradictory messages about the future mean graduates will likely have many jobs over their lifetimes, so they should “worry less about where they start” and, since life is short, they should “find the thing you enjoy and do them.”
Prior to the commencement address, John C. “Jack” Fisher, executive vice president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Inc., and former university trustee, received the university’s Distinguished Service Award.
As the ceremony wrapped up, Jim Smith, president and CEO of The Ohio State University Alumni Association, welcomed the newest alumni to the family of Ohio State alumni as Buckeyes for Life.
