Franklin University to Celebrate 179th Commencement with Largest Group of Walking Graduates

Contact:

Sherry Mercurio
Executive Director, Office of Community Relations
(614) 947-6581
Email: sherry.mercurio@franklin.edu

Franklin University is set to celebrate its 179th Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, June 1, 2025, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. This term’s ceremony will spotlight the University’s continued commitment to student success, with nearly 600 graduates walking across the stage — the largest number of graduates participating in Franklin’s history.

This graduating class represents a broad and diverse group of learners, including those transferring from community colleges through Franklin’s Pathway Portal — an innovative tool designed to streamline the transfer process and make bachelor’s degrees more accessible. Over 100 Pathway Portal graduates will be recognized this term, including the first graduates from Marion Technical College and Washington State College of Ohio.

The June 1 event will also highlight Franklin’s Earn & Learn partnerships with leading Central Ohio employers. Graduates from Nationwide Children's Hospital, OhioHealth, and the City of Columbus will be honored for completing their master’s degrees while actively contributing to the region’s workforce. These collaborations provide adult learners with valuable educational benefits, career advancement opportunities, and a flexible academic experience aligned with their professional goals.

Participants from the Huntington Exact Track program will also be recognized, continuing a legacy of academic partnership that supports working professionals through a structured, accelerated degree format.

Graduating Student Speaker
Kyle M. Webb is an accomplished IT services executive with more than 12 years of experience designing and managing innovative IT solutions for government, healthcare, manufacturing and nonprofit sectors. As director of IT services for the Knox County Commissioners, Kyle built a robust IT department, spearheaded large-scale system migrations, and implemented cutting-edge security and disaster recovery solutions. A strategic leader, Kyle excels in stakeholder collaboration, cross-functional team empowerment, and delivering transformative technology projects. Graduating this Sunday with his M.S. in Cybersecurity, he also holds a bachelor’s degree in information systems management from Shawnee State University.

Event Details
The ceremony will be available for live stream on the University’s Commencement page for family and friends who cannot attend in person. The ceremony will also be recorded and made available for graduates to relive the day’s celebrations and share their accomplishments with loved ones: franklin.edu/commencement.

About Franklin University

Accredited, nonprofit, and dedicated to educating adults since 1902, Franklin provides onsite course options at our Main Campus in downtown Columbus, Ohio, and is an innovator in providing personalized online education. The University offers applied in-demand undergraduate, masters, and doctorate programs that enable adult learners to achieve their educational and professional goals. Through agreements with partner institutions, the University also offers international academic programs, including its top-ranked MBA.

Franklin University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and holds specialized accreditations for specific academic programs through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education. The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Franklin University as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).