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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to deliver commencement address at Fayetteville State

Graduation ceremony scheduled May 14 at Crown Coliseum

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will deliver the 2023 undergraduate commencement address at Fayetteville State University on May 13, according to the university’s communications office.

The ceremony will be at 9 a.m. May 13 at the Crown Coliseum.

Austin, a retired Army four-star general, is the nation’s first African American secretary of defense, according to a news release.

Additional information about FSU's commencement and graduate programs can be found on the university's website.

The ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. May 13  at the Crown Coliseum.

“We are honored to have Secretary Austin deliver this year’s commencement address commemorating an auspicious occasion for our students, their families and our entire Bronco community,” said Chancellor Darrell T. Allison. “His leadership and selfless commitment to service of country is undeniable. As a strong partner with the military-connected community and the No. 1 HBCU in the nation that enrolls military-connected students, this historical moment of having Secretary Austin inspire our FSU graduates is greatly validating.”

Sworn in as the 28th secretary of defense on Jan. 22, 2021, Austin previously served a tour as the Army’s vice chief of staff. He concluded his uniformed service as commander of U.S. Central Command, responsible for military operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan, according to the news release. In that assignment, he led U.S. and coalition efforts to battle ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

Austin retired from active duty in 2016. His 41-year career in the Army included commands at the corps, division, battalion, and brigade levels, the release said. He was awarded the Silver Star for his leadership of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. In 2010, he became commanding general of U.S. forces in Iraq, the release said.

A native of Mobile, Austin was raised in Thomasville, Georgia. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a bachelor’s degree and a commission in the Infantry. He holds a master’s degree in counselor education from Auburn University and an MBA in business management from Webster University, the release said.

Austin is also a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced courses, the Army Command and General Staff College, and the Army War College. He is married to FSU alumna Charlene B. Austin, Class of 1979.

Since retiring from military service, Austin has served on the boards of Raytheon Technologies, Nucor and Tenet Healthcare, the release said.

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Fayetteville, Fayetteville State University, Lloyd J. Austin III, commencement, graduation

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