More than 400 students of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) earned degrees this summer quarter including nine doctoral graduates.
The ceremony's keynote speaker offered another unique aspect to the class.
Vice Adm. Mark I. Fox, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans and Strategy (N3/N5), was not only the ceremony's premier speaker, he was also a proud parent with his own son, Lt. Collin R. Fox, a member of this quarter's graduating class completing a master's degree in system analysis.
Vice Adm. Mark I. Fox said:
"I'm delighted to speak at the Naval Postgraduate School graduation ceremony ... I had originally planned to attend the event only as a proud dad, but the opportunity to address the graduates - including one of my sons - of such a prestigious academic institution is a real honor. I completed the Aviation Safety Officer's course at NPS in 1986, and appreciate the enduring partnership between the Navy and the local community. It's always a treat to spend time on the Central California coast."
"We have seen the greatest increase in prosperity in human history in our lives, how has this happened?" he posed. "Good work in hard science and engineering ... tremendous growth in the analog to digital age and information technologies have come along. But the real driver, I would submit, has been the movement of goods and services around the globe," he commented, with institutions like NPS "representing the brain."
A total of 410 students graduated earning 419 degrees this past quarter, including nine Ph.D.s, one mechanical engineer and 47 international students.