ECE alumnus to speak at Purdue’s 2023 summer commencement
Purdue University will host the 2023 summer commencement on Aug. 5 in Elliott Hall of Music during two ceremonies honoring the persistent pursuits and giant leaps of more than 1,500 students. Since the first commencement ceremony in 1875, summer and winter commencements were added to each year’s spring commencement, making this commencement the 250th in Purdue’s history.
ECE alumnus Joe Watkins will deliver the keynote speech at the morning ceremony, which begins at 9:30 a.m. and celebrates those graduating from the colleges of agriculture, engineering, business, and Polytechnic Institute. Watkins is the co-founder of Socio, one of Purdue’s recent successful all-student startups. Watkins and his co-founders, Yarkin Sakucoglu and Alihan Ozbayrak, were featured on Forbes magazine's 30 under 30 list in 2020. Their startup, Socio, now known as Webex Events after an acquisition by Cisco, is an event management software platform that counts T-Mobile, Apple, Nasdaq, and Under Armour among its customers.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb will be the keynote speaker during the afternoon ceremony, beginning at 2:30 p.m. The ceremony will celebrate those graduating from the colleges of education, health and human sciences, liberal arts, pharmacy, science, and veterinary medicine.
Tickets are required for admission into the ceremonies. Doors open 90 minutes before each ceremony, and all attendees with bags will need to have them checked at the door, according to the release.
Both ceremonies will be livestreamed on the Purdue University News YouTube page.
For those attending in person, free parking will be available in the Northwestern Avenue and University Street parking garages. The Grant Street garage is also available for a fee. The Ross-Ade Stadium North Lot is available for free parking.
Uniformed police will be on duty and will provide directions as needed, according to the Purdue University website.