Findlay to Hold Graduate, Undergraduate Commencement Ceremonies on May 4

The University of Findlay will hold spring commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 4, in the Koehler Complex. The graduate ceremony will begin at 9 a.m., and the undergraduate ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. No tickets are necessary to attend the ceremonies.
Approximately 937 degrees, including doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s and associate, will be awarded.
The University will welcome two guest speakers. Daniel J. May, Ph.D., will be the speaker for the graduate commencement ceremony, and UF alumnus Rick Little will be the speaker for the undergraduate ceremony. An honorary doctor of entrepreneurial business development will be awarded to UF alumnus and trustee emeritus L. Jack Ruscilli.
May, until the end of this academic year, is the University’s vice president of academic affairs, a position he has held since 2004. He recently accepted a position as provost at the University of New Haven in Connecticut and will begin there in June.
Previously, May was named dean of the College of Sciences in 2003 after holding several faculty and administrative positions at Findlay since 1991. May has played an essential role in the strategic planning process and academic review efforts at Findlay, in addition to overseeing the accreditation of many of the University’s graduate and professional programs, including the University’s first two professional doctoral programs in pharmacy and physical therapy.
May has a bachelor of science degree in geology from Stanford University and a doctoral degree in geology from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
A 1988 Findlay graduate and a native of McComb, Ohio, Little is founder and president of ImagineNations Group and is described as a “serial social entrepreneur.” He led the creation of initiatives that operate in more than 100 countries, focusing on building practical and sustainable solutions to large-scale challenges by promoting economic opportunity, job creation and positive youth development.
In 2008, Little led the design and establishment of Silatech to address youth employment across the Middle East and North Africa. He also founded the International Youth Foundation, serving as its CEO from 1990 to 2002. IYF operates in more than 80 countries, investing in education, health, leadership and employment projects.
Little has received numerous awards for his work, including the Presidential Award of the International Association of Lions Clubs. He was named one of the world’s 100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum and was selected by his peers to receive the Robert W. Scrivner Award from the U.S.-based Council on Foundations.
Little received an honorary doctorate degree from Anderson University and was named an international fellow in Applied Developmental Science at Tufts University.
Ruscilli is CEO and chairman of the board of Ruscilli Construction Co. Inc. and a member of the Findlay College Class of 1966. He also is a past member of the UF Board of Trustees. After graduating from then-Findlay College, Ruscilli joined his father’s construction company as a salesman. Ruscilli guided the company from a small specialty contractor to one of the Midwest’s largest full-service general construction companies. Operating since 1945, the Ruscilli Construction Co. Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest pre-engineered building systems dealer and has put up more than 20 million square feet of pre-engineered steel throughout the U.S.
The University’s traditional Arch Ceremony will immediately follow both the graduate and undergraduate commencement ceremonies at approximately 10:15 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., respectively, at the Griffith Memorial Arch. The Arch is named for Caddie A. Griffith, Class of 1909. She headed the Findlay College department of English in 1914-16 and 1917-18, before going on to serve as dean of women at Franklin College, Indiana, and Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio. She died in 1923.