RUM celebrates 112th graduation ceremony with 1,720 students

Of the 1,509 bachelor’s degree students graduated at the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez Campus on Thursday, 856 earned academic honors. Eighteen students received the Luis Stefani Raffucci Grand Prize for graduating with a perfect four-point average.

By The Star Staff

The University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez Campus (RUM by its acronym in Spanish) celebrated its 112th graduation ceremony on Thursday, with 1,720 students participating in bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral ceremonies held at Rafael A. Mangual Coliseum.

“The class of 2025 is clear evidence that perseverance and a passion for learning pave the way, even in the midst of uncertainty,” Chancellor Agustín Rullán Toro said in a written statement.

During the graduation ceremony, three students from the Department of Humanities received master of arts degrees in cultural and humanistic studies, and two bachelor’s degrees in food science from the College of Agricultural Sciences were awarded for the first time in what was also a first for the institution and the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) system.

Likewise, a new award was established under the U.S. Air Force program, awarded to student Gerardo Andrés Montalvo Padilla of the Industrial Microbiology program.

At the ceremony, Drs. Jorge Iván Vélez Arocho, Sonia Borges Delgado, and José A. Mari Mutt were recognized with the title of professor emeritus, and two posthumous degrees were awarded to Eddie Alberto Caraballo Hernández and Noeliamar Meléndez Soler.

The RUM graduating class of 2025 is made up of 895 men and 825 women. Of the total 1,509 bachelor’s degree students, 856 earned academic honors. Eighteen students received the Luis Stefani Raffucci Grand Prize for graduating with a perfect four-point average.

The breakdown by department indicates that 581 students completed degrees in arts and sciences, 577 in engineering, 191 in business administration, and 160 in agricultural sciences. In addition, 189 master’s degrees and 22 doctoral degrees were awarded in various disciplines.

The class had representation from 73 of the 78 municipalities, with Mayagüez being the most represented with 357 graduates. It also included 83 international students, mostly from Colombia, Honduras and Peru.

The events included messages from Rullán Toro and UPR Interim President Miguel A. Muñoz Muñoz.

Following tradition, the ceremony’s sponsors were the RUM graduates of 1975. The ceremony was broadcast on the university’s official social media channels under the hashtags #GradRUM2025 and #GradRUM112.