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Academic regalia is required for graduating students attending the Baccalaureate Mass or Commencement ceremony. The deadline to order academic regalia through Herff Jones (collegegrad.herffjones.com) is March 14.
Academic regalia will be distributed during the week of April 21 at the Ave Maria University Campus Store.
Each graduate will be allotted FOUR tickets, which will be available for pick up the week of May 5 at Ave Maria University Campus Store.
A waitlist will be made available for additional tickets. Students interested in being placed on the waitlist should contact Christy Dorer. Relatives and friends may also stream the ceremony online, and commencement will be live streamed in the O’Bryan Performance Hall at the Thomas and Selby Prince Building on campus.
GradImages™, featuring the GradTrak® system, will be on hand to photograph each AMU commencement participant. Digital proofs will be sent within 24 hours and free color proofs will be mailed to each graduate four days after the ceremony. Graduates are under no obligation to purchase pictures.
The graduation photo process is completely outsourced to this vendor, and AMU staff will be unable to assist those with specific questions related to photography services. For more information, visit www.gradimages.com.
This is the time when graduates can ask questions about the commencement ceremonies and related activities and when you will be given important instructions to make the weekend as enjoyable as possible for you and your guests. If for some reason you cannot attend, you must contact the Office of the Dean of Faculty at (239) 280-2550.
Academic regalia is required for this event. Tickets are not required for this Mass, but please keep in mind that seating is limited in the church—family and friends in attendance should plan to arrive early to secure a seat.
Graduates are to meet in the Demetree Lecture Hall in the Paul M. Henkels Academic Building at 4:15 p.m. for robing and to form the procession line. No particular order will be observed for the procession and seating. Ushers and staff will be on hand to assist with any last-minute cap and gown issues. It is recommended that you do not bring valuables with you.
This optional event is an AMU tradition, and is open to all graduating seniors, their families, as well as AMU faculty and staff. Tickets are limited and required for ALL attendees (including AMU students, faculty, and staff) and must be purchased no later than April 29, 2025. No tickets will be sold after this date.
Adults - $40.00 | Children 6-15 - $16.00 | Children 5 and under - Free
Graduating Students - Free
Dinner will begin after the Baccalaureate Mass has ended, around 6:30 p.m., and is served buffet style. Soft drinks and dessert are included; cash bar for beer and wine. Program to honor President's Award finalists and Class of 2025 faculty speaker will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m.
To purchase your tickets, please visit this page.
Email president@avemaria.edu with any questions.
Each graduate will be allotted FOUR tickets, which will be available for pick up the week of May 5 at Ave Maria University Campus Store.
A waitlist will be made available for additional tickets. Students interested in being placed on the waitlist should contact Christy Dorer. Relatives and friends may also stream the ceremony online, and commencement will be live streamed in the O’Bryan Performance Hall at the Thomas and Selby Prince Building on campus.
Graduates, faculty, and stage party are to arrive no later than 9:00 a.m. Academic regalia is required. Graduates will line up alphabetically, undergraduates first, followed by M.A.s, M.B.A.s, M.Ed.s, and Ph.D.s. Ushers and staff will be on hand to assist with any last-minute cap and gown issues. It is recommended that you do not bring valuables with you. Please pay attention to the Student Marshals leading the procession and assisting at the steps to the stage when your name is called.
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Michael Knowles is the celebrated host of The Michael Knowles Show at the Daily Wire and The Book Club at PragerU.
Michael has received numerous honors, including the Fr. Benedict Groeschel Award from Good Counsel Homes, the Conservative Mind Award from The American Conservative magazine, and the Courage Under Fire Award from Regina Caeli Academy. In addition to podcast and radio, Michael appears regularly on television, and his writing has been featured in the Daily Wire, the Claremont Reviews of Books, the American Conservative, the American Mind, and Fox News, among other outlets. Michael is a graduate of Yale University and has lectured at universities and research institutes around the world.
In 2017, Michael published the #1 national bestselling treatise Reasons to Vote for Democrats, which President Donald Trump hailed as “a great book for your reading enjoyment." The book has since been translated into Magyarul and is available in bookstores throughout Hungary. In 2021, Michael published his first book with words, Speechless, which also reached #1 on the national bestseller chart.
In early 2020, Michael teamed up with Senator Ted Cruz to launch Verdict, which quickly rose to the top spot on the charts across all podcasts. Later that year, after an appearance guest-hosting “The Rush Limbaugh Program,” Michael’s daily podcast became syndicated to terrestrial radio. Also that year, Michael was named a Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute.
Outside of politics and media, Michael is also a founder and owner of Mayflower Cigars.
George Peter Schwartz was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He is the fourth of five children born to devout Catholics, Walter & Marian Schwartz. He attended Precious Blood Grade School, Catholic Central High School, and the University of Detroit, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance.
Shortly after graduating from the University of Detroit, George began his career as a Research Analyst at Roney & Co. in Detroit. He married Judi Arnold, and they had 3 children while living in Redford, Michigan. Seven years later, George accepted a job at National Bank & Trust Co. of Ann Arbor, which is where the family moved and lived for the next 20 years. In Ann Arbor, George & Judi had two more children, and they also met Tom Monaghan, thus beginning a lifelong friendship.
In 1980, George started his own company, Schwartz Investment Counsel, Inc. From the humble beginning of three employees working in a house converted to an office, the firm has grown to 24 employees with a large headquarters located in Plymouth, Michigan, as well as a branch office in Ave Maria. All five of George’s children work for Schwartz Investment Counsel, Inc., a testament to his most important achievement of being an excellent father and role model.
In 2001, with the help of his good friend Tom Monaghan, and the late Bowie Kuhn, George started the Ave Maria Mutual Funds. The flagship fund was launched on May 1st of that year and was called the Ave Maria Catholic Values Fund. Since then, the fund family has grown to include seven funds and total assets under management are now approaching $4 billion. George is the Executive Chairman of Schwartz Investment Counsel, Inc. and continues to work there on a daily basis.
After 52 ½ years of marriage, Judi died in 2020. Her legacy lives on in her five children, ten grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. The Judi and George Schwartz Foundation was established and supports Catholic entities, and the outdoor basketball courts at Ave Maria University are named in her honor (Judi’s Gym).
George earned his Chartered Financial Analyst designation (CFA) in 1976. He has served on several corporate and philanthropic boards, is a member of various investment professional organizations, and is the author of three books. His most recent book, In God We Trust: Morally Responsible Investing, was published in 2018. George married Kathy Park in 2022, and they reside in Plymouth, Michigan.
Ave Maria University awards baccalaureate degrees with honors for distinguished achievement according to the following system:
To graduate with such honors recognition, a minimum of 64 credits, or 16 course, must be taken while the student is enrolled at Ave Maria University. Eligible graduates will be notified via e-mail by the registrar, and may pick up their honor cords from the registrar's office.
5050 Ave Maria Blvd., Ave Maria, FL 34142
