Commencement ceremonies at the University of Georgia marked a significant milestone for the Class of 2025, as graduates reflected on their academic journey and looked ahead to new opportunities.
The undergraduate ceremony, held on December 12 at Stegeman Coliseum, featured keynote speaker M. Douglas Ivester, president of Deer Run Investments LLC and former chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. Ivester shared personal insights with graduates, saying, “The University of Georgia gave me a degree, but the university also gave me much, much more. The University of Georgia gave me a field of vision — not a view of what was in front of me, but the unseen opportunities that a graduate could only dream of. And the University of Georgia gave me an attitude. It’s an attitude that I live by today. That attitude is to never let my memories be greater than my dreams.”
Ivester graduated from UGA in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting before joining The Coca-Cola Company in 1979. He became its youngest vice president two years later and eventually served as chairman and CEO until his retirement in 2000.
The Ivesters have contributed significantly to UGA’s Terry College of Business and established programs such as the M. Douglas & V. Kay Ivester Institute for Business Analytics and Insights. They have also supported scholarships through the Georgia Commitment Scholarships program and made major contributions to establish scholarship funds at the School of Medicine.
Encouraging graduates to look forward, Ivester said, “I intend to dream of achievements and experiences that I have not yet had, and that, my friends, is my message to you today. Dream. Dream big. Dream constantly. Dream forever.” At the end of his address, he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for his professional achievements and support for young leaders.
Student speaker Reid McAdams urged fellow graduates to move forward with gratitude and purpose: “The word ‘commencement’ does not mean only an ending. It means a beginning. We honor the work that brought us here, and we accept the work that now begins,” McAdams said. “The door in front of us is our beginning. May we walk through it with wisdom, pursue justice with strength, and practice moderation with grace. May we serve, not for applause, but for impact.”
During the graduate Commencement ceremony later that day, Ron Walcott—vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate School—advised students to recognize their growth: “I encourage you to do three things as you pursue your future goals: celebrate, leverage and pivot,” Walcott said. “Let me explain — I mean celebrate your accomplishments, fully leverage your graduate training to achieve your goals and pivot as needed to adapt to factors beyond your control.”
Walcott emphasized transformation during graduate studies: “Most importantly, celebrate your transformation.Even if you don’t feel it right now, trust me when I tell you that you have been transformed by your graduate studies,” he said.
This fall saw 3,234 students meet graduation requirements at UGA—1,649 undergraduates and 1,585 graduate students—including 344 doctoral candidates.
President Jere W. Morehead addressed both undergraduate and graduate ceremonies: “The late Dr. Louise McBee… once said: ‘We are born obligated to pour back into the stream that nourished us — to replenish it for others.’ To the extent that we do that, we have lived a good and full life,” Morehead said.“Class of 2025,I hope that all of you will go forward from today and live good and full lives — creating opportunities for others to succeed just as you have.”
Thirty-two First Honor Graduates were recognized during undergraduate Commencement for maintaining perfect academic records throughout their studies at UGA or prior college-level coursework.A posthumous doctorate was conferred upon Fabian Gilberto Tejedor Rojas.
“To our graduates,you represent tangible evidence…of those who drafted the charter…in 1785…You leave here as the next generation of leaders…Whatever your future holds,your time here preparing for life gives special meaning…to words in the university’s charter that call young people ‘the rising hope of our land,’” Morehead concluded.
