Florida Tech to Graduate 420 from Clemente Center

– The Charles and Ruth Clemente Center is the site of Florida Tech’s Spring Commencement ceremonies on May 3 at 10 a.m. Roy D. Bridges Jr., director of
NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center, will deliver the commencement address.

Director since 1997, Bridges is responsible for managing all of NASA’s facilities and activities at the center related to the space shuttle and
International Space Station programs. He manages a team of 1,800 NASA employees and 12,000 contractor employees.

Bridges is a retired U.S. Air Force general who performed many space-related roles during his career. He has served as the commander of the Air Force
Flight Test Center and of the Eastern Space and Missile Center at Patrick Air Force Base. As a NASA astronaut, he piloted the Space Shuttle Challenger on
mission STS-51F in July 1985.

Bridges earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering science as a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He received a master’s degree in
astronautics from Purdue University.

About 420 students will receive their bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees at spring commencement. Florida Tech will also confer about 180 master’s
degrees through its School of Extended Graduate Studies, which has 10 locations throughout the United States.

Florida Tech offers undergraduate programs in science, engineering, science and math education, aeronautics, business, humanities, psychology, and
communication; master’s programs in science, engineering, aeronautics, business, psychology, communication, education (science, math, environmental and
instructional technology); and doctoral programs in science, engineering, psychology, and science and math education.