Previous Ceremonies

2023 Commencement

The 2023 Commencement was held Thursday, May 4, at 3:30 pm at the Bradenton Area Convention Center. A total of 377 students received degrees, the largest graduating class in Ringling College history. The keynote speaker was Mark Woodbury, chair and chief executive officer of Universal Destinations & Experiences. The student speaker was Jesse Clark, Photography and Imaging.

Learn about a few of the 2023 graduating seniors: Susan Saulnier, Ale Ortega-Romero, and Calvin “CJ” Callins.

Photo Gallery

Commencement Recap

Live Ceremony Recording

Next Steps

Are you ready to secure your spot in the class of 2027? Set up your Ringling College Account and pay your confirmation fee here.

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Free Admission to Sarasota Art Museum + 10% off at Bistro and SHOP

Class of 2022

The 2022 Commencement Exercises took place on Thursday, May 12, 2022 at the Bradenton Area Convention Center.

Over 300 diplomas were awarded for the degrees of Business of Art and Design (BA), Computer Animation (BFA), Creative Writing (BFA), Film (BFA), Fine Arts (BFA), Game Art (BFA), Graphic Design (BFA), Illustration (BFA), Motion Design (BFA), Photography and Imaging (BFA), Virtual Reality Development (BFA), and Visual Studies (BA).

Read more about Dr. Jacinda Walker, 2022 Commencement Speaker and founder and creative director of designExplorr.

Stay connected! Ringling College is here to support you in any way we can, even after graduation. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS 2022

Ringling College of Art and Design Commencement Ceremony

Thursday, May 12, 2022, 3:30 pm (EDT)

Bradenton Area Convention Center

1 Haben Blvd. Palmetto, FL

On behalf of the Ringling College community, we would like to invite you to our Commencement Ceremony honoring the class of 2022. Join us and celebrate your graduation with your classmates, family members, favorite professors, and members of our campus community.

The Commencement Ceremony is a ticketed event for graduates and families scheduled for 3:30 pm (EDT) on Thursday, May 12, 2022 at the Bradenton Area Convention Center located in Palmetto, FL. The Ceremony will be livestreamed the afternoon of the event on the Ringling College website (www.ringling.edu/commencement), for those who are unable to attend the event in person.

There will be a live Commencement viewing party open to families, faculty, staff, and students held in person in the Morganroth Auditorium located in the Larry R. Thompson Academic Center on May 12 starting at 3:00 pm. Refreshments will be provided.

Graduates, families, and friends are encouraged to celebrate this special moment of achievement on our social wall which will be accessible one week prior to the Ceremony and will stay live for one week following the event. We welcome everyone to enjoy and post their photos leading up to the big day!

To contribute, share your photos to Instagram with the hashtag #RinglingGrads. Your cap and gown selfies, group shots, decorated caps, and all of the other excitement will appear on the Ringling College Commencement web page for your biggest supporters to see.

*All digital photos/videos will be reviewed and approved before being added to the social wall.

ABOUT OUR COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

Jacinda Walker

Jacinda is renowned for her work in diversity, design research, and strategy. She has helped clients including Amazon, Adobe, Kellogg and others with their diversity recruiting strategies. She has led design thinking and community design education workshops for the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, the Boys and Girls Club, and numerous AIGA chapters.

 

From 2016-2018, Jacinda served as the national chair of AIGA’s Diversity & Inclusion task force. She earned her A.A.B. and B.F.A. in graphic design from the University of Akron. In 2016, Walker obtained her M.F.A. in design research and development with a minor in nonprofit studies from The Ohio State University. Her thesis, Design Journeys: Strategies for Increasing Diversity in Design Disciplines, has been widely hailed as a breakthrough work. This research explores diversity in design disciplines and investigates effective strategies to expose African-American and Latino youth to design careers. Jacinda is a strong advocate for young people and proudly mentors several design students on portfolio presentations, professional development, and career planning. Walker’s future goals are to help scale diversity in design education initiatives for corporations, school systems, educational organizations, and museums for underrepresented youth.

 

Currently, she is the founder and creative director of designExplorr, an organization that operates as a social enterprise to address the diversity gap within the design profession. DesignExplorr’s mission aims to design a diverse future by expanding access to design education for youth and raise awareness for corporate organizations. This work is done through collaborations that develop youth activities, coordinate diversity-building initiatives, and connect stakeholders to resources. Log onto designExplorr.com to learn more about the work in developing youth activities and establishing design education initiatives.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

Graduates can pick-up their tickets and announcements beginning on Monday, April 11, 2022 from the Student Life Office, 2nd Floor of the Ulla Searing Student Center.

Regalia (cap and gown) should be picked up from the Art and Supply Store beginning on Monday, April 18 through Tuesday, May 10.

We need to know where to mail your diploma after graduation!

Once final grades are in and your advisor certifies your degree, we will order your diplomas and they will be shipped directly to you. You will receive your diploma in a cover in late May or June, so please use an address that will work at that time. Please do not use your on-campus address if you have one. If you do not know where you will be living at that time, consider mailing it to a relative or trusted friend.

Be sure your information is up-to-date in the Self-Service portal. For those of you that are local and use your campus mailbox, don’t forget to complete a mail forwarding form at Mail Services.

For seniors that are living on campus, housing closes for all students on Friday, May 13, 2022 at 4:00 pm. Please contact reslife@ringling.edu with any questions and/or concerns.

Stay connected! Ringling College is here to support you in any way we can, even after graduation.

https://www.ringling.edu/alumni/

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR GRADUATES!