TALLAHASSEE Matthew Allen Grindy checked off one more of his life's goals when he received a doctoral degree from his hospital bed.

Grindy was dressed in ceremonial cap and gown on Friday, lying in his bed at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, as Florida State University President T.K. Wetherell, Provost Larry Abele and Communication Dean John Mayo conferred upon him the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Speech Communication.

Several days earlier, Grindy had opted out of further treatments for the cancer spreading throughout his body and into his brain, making arrangements to go home to hospice care. Even though I knew I probably wouldn't survive, there were some things I still wanted to accomplish. I didn't want my experience to be nasty overall, and I feel like I got that," Grindy told the Tallahassee Democrat. "Statistically, with my diagnosis, I should've been dead a long time ago. But I fought back, and today I accomplished another one of my goals. It's just a piece of paper to some people, but it's more than that to me."

The 28-year-old's friends, family and professors had wanted to know whether Grindy had done enough work to earn his degree. His father, Scott Grindy, said he and Wetherell exchanged phone calls until everything came together and the ceremony was set.

The degree is not an honorary one, Abele said.

Grindy has been FSU's director of debate for the past two years and was named the top graduate student-coach in policy debate in the country last year. He was still coaching debaters by phone a week ago.