The commanding general of the Georgia Army National Guard will be the keynote speaker for Southern Polytechnic State University's fall commencement ceremony, officials announced Friday.

Major Gen. Maria L. Britt will speak at the ceremony scheduled for Dec. 18 in the university gym. The ceremony is open to the public.

The university plans to award about 335 undergraduate and graduates degrees. Officials said it is the largest number of degrees conferred during a fall commencement.

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Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)