Franklin Celebrates its Largest Group of Graduates Walking in its 175th Commencement Ceremony

Contact:

Sherry Mercurio
Executive Director, Office of Community Relations
(614) 947-6581
Email: sherry.mercurio@franklin.edu

Franklin University, one of the leading educators of working adults, will hold its 175th Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at 2 p.m. (EST), during which the University’s newest degree candidates will receive their diplomas. This commencement ceremony will take place at The Greater Columbus Convention Center, Battelle Grand Ballroom, 400 N. High St. in downtown Columbus.

As Franklin honors the achievements of its newest class of graduates, this term’s commencement marks great significance as the largest group of graduates participating in the University’s 175th ceremony. With nearly 500 graduates walking, we are honored to recognize this University milestone and the significance of this achievement for those who completed their degrees while often juggling work, families, and more. The University is proud to honor the newest class of graduates and invites the community to join in this historic celebration.

Commencement Speaker
As president and CEO of the Ohio Society of CPAs (OSCPA), Scott Wiley leads a team that creates and delivers innovative advocacy, education and business solutions for 85,000 of Ohio’s CPAs and accounting professionals. In this role, Wiley has proven himself to be a powerful agent for positive change. In fact, his efforts to meet the changing demands of an evolving workforce and rapidly changing business environment have been featured in Talent Generation, Pivot Point and Becoming Essential, publications that chronicle leading edge thinking for organizations and their executive leadership.

Since his appointment in 2013, Wiley has repositioned OSCPA to deliver greater member value. He has refocused staff resources, products and services and launched a new mission, vision and brand that is reflective of OSCPA’s commitment to advance and diversify the accounting profession and support members as Ohio’s top strategic financial advisors.

Under Wiley’s leadership, OSCPA has advanced and modernized continuing education for CPAs. OSCPA was the first state CPA association to launch a successful online learning platform and Ohio was the first state to approve CPA continuing education credit for nano learning. This strategic move emphasizes that learning formats must be flexible and evolve to meet the needs of a new generation of professionals.
 
Mindful of changing demographics in America, Wiley is making a diverse and inclusive CPA talent pool a top priority in Ohio. As president of the Ohio CPA Foundation, which funds programs to grow and strengthen Ohio’s CPA talent pool, Wiley has led the launch and capital funding efforts for the nation’s largest accounting workforce development initiative.

NOTE: The Fall 2023 commencement ceremony will be streamed live for those families and friends who wish to watch the ceremony from home. A link to access the live stream will be made available on the Graduation Information page (franklin.edu/commencement) at 2 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024.

About Franklin University

Accredited, nonprofit, and dedicated to educating adults since 1902, Franklin provides onsite course options at our Main Campus in downtown Columbus, Ohio, and is an innovator in providing personalized online education. The University offers applied in-demand undergraduate, masters, and doctorate programs that enable adult learners to achieve their educational and professional goals. Through agreements with partner institutions, the University also offers international academic programs, including its top-ranked MBA.

Franklin University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and holds specialized accreditations for specific academic programs through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education. The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Franklin University as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).