Spring commencement will feature three ceremonies

National Hurricane Center Director Richard Knabb, Florida nature film producer Elam Stoltzfus and U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki will deliver the commencement addresses at Florida State University's three spring graduation ceremonies.

About 3,900 of 6,200 graduating Florida State students will participate in this year's ceremonies at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center, 505 W. Pensacola St.

Knabb will speak at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3, to the graduates of the colleges of Arts and Sciences; Criminology and Criminal Justice; and Human Sciences. Also during this ceremony, the university's Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor for 2013-2014 will be recognized. Shridhar K. Sathe, a food scientist in the College of Human Sciences, will receive the highest honor the university faculty bestows on one of their own.

Knabb earned two meteorology degrees from Florida State — a Master of Science in 1993 and a doctorate in 1999. He became a household name working as the Weather Channel's tropical weather expert before being named director of the National Hurricane Center in June 2012. He is the fourth graduate of Florida State to serve as its director. The other three are Neil Frank, Max Mayfield and Bill Proenza.