Francis Marion to celebrate fall commencement, first class of doctoral graduates

Francis Marion University will award degrees to 329 new graduates at its fall commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 15 at 10 a.m.

The degrees will include 204 baccalaureate degrees and 125 graduate degrees, constituting the largest fall graduates in the University’s history.

Honorary doctorates of Humanities will be conferred on Costa M. Pleicones, a Columbia-based lawyer and the former Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court; and Dr. John Keith, III, a Pee Dee region pediatrician.

Francis Marion’s first class of Doctorate of Nursing Practice students will walk across the stage Saturday, making history as FMU’s first doctorate level graduates. The seven students are the culmination of a program that was launched with the mission of helping improve healthcare access across the Pee Dee region and beyond.

FMU’s commencement is a ticketed event.