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Gen. Ron Keys to Speak at Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach Commencement

Daytona Beach, Fla., Dec. 2, 2010 -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will hold its commencement ceremony for 434 undergraduate and graduate students Monday, Dec. 20, at 10 a.m. in the Ocean Center, 101 N. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach. During the event, the University’s Excellence in Aviation Award will be presented to the commencement guest speaker, retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Ron Keys, in recognition of his significant lifetime contribution to aviation and national defense.

Gen. Keys retired in 2007 after a career of over 40 years in the Air Force. Over the years he commanded a fighter squadron, the U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, an F-15 wing, an A/OA-10 and F-16 wing, the Combat Air Forces Operational Test and Evaluation Wing, and Allied Air Forces Southern Europe.

Additionally, Gen. Keys was the first commander of the Air Force Doctrine Center and served as an executive assistant to the Air Force Chief of Staff and to the Assistant Secretary of Defense. He was also Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations at U.S. Air Force headquarters.

In his last assignment, he was commander of Air Combat Command, the Air Force’s largest major command, consisting of more than 1,200 aircraft, 27 wings, 17 bases and 200 operating locations worldwide, and 105,000 personnel. He led the establishment of the Air Force’s first Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Wing and first Network Warfare Wing.

During his Air Force career, Gen. Keys was a command pilot who accrued more than 4,000 flying hours, including more than 300 hours of combat time in Southeast Asia. He flew A-10, F-4, F-15, and F-16 aircraft.

In addition to winning several major military awards and decorations, in 2007 the Air Force Association honored Gen. Keys with its most prestigious award, the H.H. Arnold Award, presented annually to a member of the military who has made the most significant contribution to national defense. Upon retirement he was also selected as the first Air Force ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) Distinguished Alumni award recipient.

Gen. Keys owns RK Solution Enterprises, an independent consultancy specializing in advanced technology, cyber planning and operations, UAV employment and organization, national security and climate change, transportation, marketing decisions, strategic planning, and policy development issues.

He is a senior advisor to the Bipartisan Policy Center; the lead for the National Security Speaker Series and Cyber Security project, with liaison to the Hamilton-Kean 911 Commission Homeland Security Preparedness Group Project; and a member of the Center for Naval Analyses Military Advisory Board on the Department of Defense’s Energy and Climate Change project.

Gen. Keys was elected to Embry-Riddle’s Board of Trustees in March 2010. He currently serves as a member of the Development and Student Life committees.

Families and friends who cannot attend the commencement ceremony can watch a live streaming broadcast of the event at the Senior Class website, www.eraugraduation.com, on the day of the ceremony and for a period of time afterward.

Commencement Weekend includes the following events:

Saturday, Dec. 18

Senior Lift Off: Daytona 500 Experience
7 p.m., Daytona 500 Experience, 1801 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach
This annual alumni welcome reception is hosted by the Alumni Association. Each graduate and up to four guests may enjoy free, unlimited use of all Daytona 500 Experience attractions, including Acceleration Alley, Dream Laps, and Speedplay. Light hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served. Please make reservations through eaglesNEST at www.eraualumni.org before the event to receive a special leather portfolio gift at the reception. This event is free. For more information, call Edmund Odartey-Williams at (386) 226-6155.

Sunday, Dec. 19

Air Force ROTC Commissioning Ceremony
10 a.m., Willie Miller Instructional Center auditorium, Embry-Riddle
Twenty-three students will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force. Preceding the ceremony, light refreshments will be served at 9 a.m. For more information, call (386) 226-6880.

Catholic Mass
7 p.m., Interfaith Chapel, Embry-Riddle

Monday, Dec. 20

Daytona Beach Campus Commencement
10 a.m., Ocean Center, 101 N. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach For directions to the Ocean Center, visit www.oceancenter.com. For more information on the commencement ceremony, visit the Senior Class website at http://eraugraduation.com.

Naval ROTC Commissioning Ceremony
3:30 p.m., Willie Miller Instructional Center auditorium, Embry-Riddle
Fourteen graduating midshipmen will be commissioned as ensigns in the U.S. Navy.

Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony
4 p.m., in front of the ROTC flagpole, Embry-Riddle
The ceremony will be followed by a reception in ROTC Room 236. For more information, call (386) 226-6473.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates more than 34,000 students annually at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 150 locations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.

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Administrative Offices: 600 South Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32114