PhD students took center stage during Thursday (May 15) afternoon’s Division I spring commencement ceremony — the first of 10 taking place at Purdue’s Elliott Hall of Music on May 15-18. For the first time, Purdue’s main campus will confer more than 10,000 degrees in a single commencement. (Purdue University photo/John Underwood)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue’s annual rite of spring is in full swing, with a second day of commencement ceremonies currently underway at Elliott Hall of Music. The first of 10 divisions began Thursday (May 15), and the last will conclude Sunday (May 18).
For the first time, Purdue’s main campus will confer more than 10,000 degrees in a single commencement. The spring 2025 class includes 7,997 undergraduates, 2,167 graduate students, 220 students from professional programs and 85 students from Purdue Polytechnic Institute’s statewide programs who are 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 is presiding over the Friday through Sunday ceremonies and delivering the spring commencement speech. Each ceremony will feature a student responder.
The university will recognize two alumni with honorary doctorates. Ron Klemencic, chair and CEO of Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA), will receive 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., will receive an honorary Doctor of Business from the Mitch Daniels School of Business during Sunday’s (May 18) Division X ceremony.
The ceremonies will be livestreamed from the Purdue News YouTube channel, and a link will be available on the Purdue commencement website before each ceremony begins.
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.
Note: Professional doctoral degrees (audiology, nursing, pharmacy and veterinary medicine) will be conferred during their college’s scheduled ceremonies.
College of Agriculture
College of Engineering
College of Pharmacy, including Doctor of Pharmacy
Joint and special programs
College of Engineering
College of Engineering
College of Veterinary Medicine, including Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Polytechnic Institute
College of Science
Polytechnic Institute
College of Education
College of Science
College of Agriculture
College of Liberal Arts
College of Health and Human Sciences
College of Health and Human Sciences
Mitch Daniels School of Business
The doors to Elliott Hall of Music will open 90 minutes before each ceremony, and tickets are required for entry. Only clear bags or small clutch bags are permitted in Elliott Hall of Music, and all bags will be checked. More information can be found at Spring Commencement FAQs.
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.
Media contact: Erin Murphy, emurphyv@purdue.edu
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Last modified: May 16, 2025