Extraordinary Futures

Thousands of new NC State graduates headed out into the world following Spring Commencement 2017, each of them in pursuit of their own extraordinary future.

The ceremony took place Saturday, May 13 in the PNC Arena in Raleigh. The city’s mayor, Nancy McFarlane, delivered the commencement address.

During the ceremony, Chancellor Randy Woodson conferred 5,871 degrees — including 96 associate’s, 3,845 bachelor’s, 1,652 master’s, 183 doctoral and 95 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees. He also conferred honorary degrees on NC State alumnus Philip G. Freelon, lead architect for the acclaimed National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., and David Christian, professor and director of the Big History Institute for Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.

Together with the 3,442 degrees conferred in December 2016, NC State awarded a total of 9,313 degrees in the 2016-17 academic year.

Numbered among those thousands were a host of graduates who might not have come so far without the help of NC State donors, friends and the wider campus community. Their graduation was testament to the extraordinary scholarship support the university offers. Scholarships not only open doors for students to come to college; they open doors for them to make a lasting impact on the world.