Caps, gowns and confetti: Spring Commencement 2026

Large crowds of family members and friends filled the Convocation Center on Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, for the graduate and undergraduate Commencement ceremonies.  More than 4,500 students took part in the three ceremonies, making it one of OHIO’s largest Commencement weekends in recent history.

In addition, OHIO’s regional campuses each held Graduation Recognition Ceremonies on Thursday, April 30, and the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Commencement ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 9 at the Convocation Center.

The Graduate Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 1 honored 840 master’s and doctoral students for their accomplishments, while also presenting special awards to alumni and faculty.

“While today is about honoring what you’ve accomplished, it’s also about what comes next,” President Lori Stewart Gonzalez told the graduates. Today’s world is constantly changing, but the OHIO graduates are prepared and ready to engage and lead.

“Congratulations Class of 2026,” President Gonzalez said. “Go forward and continue the work you’ve already begun. Continue to lead, to learn and to make a difference. And wherever your path leads, know that you will forever be a part of Ohio University.”

Also during the Graduate Commencement ceremony, the Ohio University presented an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree to OHIO alumnus Larry Conner. An entrepreneur and private astronaut, Conner also served as the Commencement Speaker for the Undergraduate Commencement ceremonies.

A nationally recognized real estate entrepreneur, Connor is the founder and managing partner of The Connor Group, a real estate investment firm with billions in assets under management and a reputation for disciplined growth and a high-performance culture. You can read more about Connor here.

President Gonzalez also announced that Dr. Brian Clark has been named as Ohio University’s 2026 Distinguished Professor. A professor of physiology and neuroscience in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Clark is the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Harold E. Clybourne, D.O., Endowed Research Chair.

As the director of the Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurological Institute, Clark leads both basic and clinical research focused on pain disorders and healthy aging.

Executive Vice President and Provost Donald J. Leo announced during the ceremony that Dr. Mary Kate Hurley, associate professor of English in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been named as the winner of the 2026 Outstanding Graduate Faculty Award.

The Commencement Speaker for the ceremony was Dr. Paul Shovlin, assistant professor of English in the College of Arts and Sciences and the 2025 recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award. An OHIO graduate, Shovlin told the students that he once sat in their seats and that he even lived in a residence hall room in the Convocation Center as a student.

At the same time, each student is on a separate path, Shovlin said. The graduates will move into jobs and careers to pay their rents and mortgages, and he encouraged the graduates to find meaning in their work wherever their paths take them.

“I see the ability to solve the many problems we are faced with today. The world desperately needs you,” Shovlin said. “Good luck with that rent, find your meaning, solve those problems.”

More than 3,240 students were honored during the two Undergraduate Commencement ceremonies on May 2. In 2027, OHIO will hold three Undergraduate Commencement ceremonies.

Commencement Speaker Connor encouraged the students to understand that they do not need to be perfect to succeed in the world.

“Life will not go according to plan,” Connor said. No matter what happens in life, though, he reminded the graduates that they are always in control of four things: their attitude, effort, choices and how they spend their time.

“Do not be afraid to fail. Failure is the first step to success,” Connor said. 

“Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I will show you someone who has overcome failure, obstacles and adversity,” Connor said. “And remember you are a work in progress.”

He encouraged the students to believe in themselves and said they should each strive for their own meaning of success.

“You will make mistakes, we all do, but if you live with belief, resilience and the courage to keep going, you will build a meaningful life with few real regrets,” Connor said.

President Gonzalez also congratulated the graduates and said they are ready to take the next steps in their lives.

“Congratulations Class of 2026. Go forward and build something meaningful and something lasting and something that reflects who you are and what you value,” President Gonzalez said. “The future is not something you wait for, it’s something you create, and we cannot wait to see what you do.”