The University of Toledo will recognize the Class of 2025 during spring commencement ceremonies in May.
Steven Klar, an alumnus and president of the Klar Organization, will deliver the keynote address at each of two undergraduate ceremonies in John F. Savage Arena on Saturday, May 3.
Klar earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UToledo in 1969. After he earned a juris doctor from Brooklyn Law School in 1973, he took the reins of the company his father had founded in 1947, steering it toward success as a diversified real estate development, building and brokerage firm based in Long Island, New York.
Klar is a strong supporter of the John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation and the sponsor of its Klar Academy for Leadership Excellence, which offers undergraduate juniors and seniors the unique opportunity to engage with diverse perspectives and cultivate personal growth as the next generation of leaders. The Neff College of Business honored Klar with a Pacemaker Award in 2006 and as a Distinguished Alumni in 2022.
Steven Klar, an alumnus and president of the Klar Organization, will deliver the keynote address at each of two undergraduate ceremonies in John F. Savage Arena on Saturday, May 3.
“I’m humbled and excited to speak to this year’s graduates,” Klar said. “I’m privileged to have already met some of them through the Klar Academy for Leadership Excellence, so I can say with confidence that they’re leaving campus with a strong foundation for success. It’s exciting to be able to celebrate this major accomplishment with them.”
Students in the College of Arts and Letters, Judith Herb College of Education, College of Health and Human Services and College of Nursing will be recognized during the first undergraduate commencement ceremony at 9 a.m. Students in the Neff College of Business, College of Engineering, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and University College will be recognized at 1 p.m.
The College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences will host a separate ceremony to recognize candidates for degrees at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3, in Savage Arena.
The doctoral hooding and graduate ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, May 2, in Savage Arena.
UToledo is set to confer more than 2,100 degrees and graduate certificates throughout the weekend, including 183 doctoral, 426 master’s, 1,418 bachelor’s and 78 associate’s degrees.
The College of Law will recognize an additional 86 candidates for degrees at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 11, in the Lancelot Thompson Student Union Auditorium, and the College of Medicine and Life Sciences will recognize 221 graduate and medical students in Savage Arena at 2 p.m. Friday, May 16.
Dr. Reshma Jagsi, a scholar and clinical trialist internationally recognized for her research in breast cancer, health services and bioethics, will deliver the keynote address at the medical college ceremony.
Klar, Jagsi and Dr. S. Amjad Hussain, a professor emeritus of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery and former trustee, will each receive honorary degrees at commencement ceremonies. Hussain will receive a doctor of humane letters, honoris causa, at the morning undergraduate ceremony; Klar will receive a doctor of humane letters, honoris causa, at the afternoon undergraduate ceremony; and Jagsi will receive a doctor of science, honoris causa, at the medical college ceremony.
“Congratulations to the Class of 2025! We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments,” Interim President Matt Schroeder said. “As a graduate of UToledo and part of a worldwide network of more than 173,000 Rocket alumni, I can personally attest to the power of the UToledo degree that these graduates will receive this weekend. Whether they’re entering the workforce or advancing in their careers, we’re excited for them to go out and positively impact their communities.”
Due to capacity and fire code regulations, tickets are required for admission to commencement ceremonies.
For additional information and resources, go to UToledo’s commencement website.
