Franklin Hosts 159th Commencement Ceremony

Contact:

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

COLUMBUS, OH (Sept. 4, 2018) - Franklin University, one of the leading educators of working adults, will hold its 159th Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018 at 2 p.m., during which the University’s newest degree candidates will receive their diplomas. This commencement ceremony will take place at The Greater Columbus Convention Center, Battelle Grand Hall, 400 N. High St. in downtown Columbus. 

Commencement is a time of celebration. For Franklin University, the event marks a tremendous sense of achievement for students who completed their degrees often while juggling work, families and more. The University is proud to honor the achievements of this newest class of graduates and invites the community to join in the celebration.

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKERS
Tasha Booker Fowler is the executive director for City Year Columbus and vice president for City Year Inc., where she develops and leads City Year Columbus’ strategies for school and community impact, operations and finance. City Year partners with public schools to prepare graduates who are ready for college, career and a productive life. 

In her role, Fowler secured a partnership with Columbus City Schools, the first school district contract in City Year’s 25-year history. This partnership helped to increase private revenue by 56 percent while expanding school partnerships by 43 percent. Tasha has nearly two decades of nonprofit and K-12 education experience. Prior to leading City Year Columbus, she served as the director of development and public relations for I Know I Can, a college access organization, and held leadership roles for United Way of Central Ohio, Boy Scouts of America and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. 

Fowler serves on the board of directors for First Night Columbus, is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., and was a founding member of the Central Ohio Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. She was recognized in Business First’s 2014 Forty under 40, Smart Business’ 2017 Executive Directors of the Year, and is a 2017 Young American Leadership Program fellow and current Pahara Institute NextGen fellow. Most recently, Tasha was recognized by WELD Ohio as a 2018 Women WELDing the Way honoree and a 2018 Progressive Woman by Smart Women Columbus. 

Tasha earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing from Franklin University and master’s degree in education from Mount Vernon Nazarene University. She is married to Troy and is the proud mother of sons Logan and TJ, as well as Skittles, a 5-pound poodle.

Also addressing the graduates will be Minh Nguyen. Minh Nguyen came to the United States from Vietnam at age 16, and spent two years with two different host families. During that time, he developed an interest in American culture that led him to pursue his education in America. 

Nguyen earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration at Ohio University and moved to Columbus after graduation to work as a project coordinator and client advocate for AWH, a software development company. While at AWH, Minh realized his passion for computer science and decided to pursue his master’s at Franklin University. Over the course of his graduate career, Minh worked for multiple University departments and was recently the graduate assistant for the CIS department. After graduation, Minh will pursue a full-time position in Columbus as a software developer. 

Minh credits his educational success to his parents, who are living in Vietnam and his sister, who lives in Chicago. Minh lives in Columbus with his girlfriend, whom he regards as his daily driving force that kept him on track and focused throughout his graduate career.

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).