Springfield, Ohio — Wittenberg has been celebrating its seniors throughout the month, building up to the big moment when 262 graduates cross the stage in beautiful Commencement Hollow on Saturday, May 16.
The University’s 176th Commencement exercises kick off at 11:30 a.m. All guests should be seated by 11 a.m. to catch the processional. Commencement Hollow will be accessible after 9:30 a.m. with approximately 3,000 chairs set up for the event. In addition, visitors are welcome to bring their own comfy convenience – whether that’s a chair or a favorite blanket.
The rain location for the ceremony will be inside the Pam Evans Smith Arena, part of the Health, Wellness & Athletics (HWA) Complex. Tickets are required and have already been distributed to the graduates. Others wishing to view the ceremony can do so online at www.wittenberg.edu/live. GradImages, a leader in commencement photography, will handle capturing photos of all degree candidates with their diplomas for purchase.
Addressing the graduates at the ceremony will be Wittenberg President Christian M.M. Brady, keynote speaker, highly successful entrepreuneur, and 2001 Wittenberg alumnus Rakeesh Tondon, William D. “Bill” Edwards, chair of the University’s Board of Directors and a 1989 alumnus, and Stephanie Morgan-White, class of 1992 and current president of the Wittenberg University Alumni Association. Senior class co-presidents Alyssa Burnside from Hilliard, Ohio, and Taylor ‘Moose’ Harper from Columbus, Ohio, will also share remarks with their classmates.
With 20-plus years of experience navigating hypergrowth and global expansion of startups, along with managing strategic acquisitions, Tondon serves as an advisor with Entrepreneurs First, “a category-defining global investor in entrepreneurial talent” whose portfolio companies are backed by world-leading investors,” according to the company’s website. Tondon brings decades of experience in e-commerce, retail, SaaS, AI, and healthcare. Throughout his career, he has steered through the challenges of sophisticated supply chains, intricate logistics, and high-growth business operations and start-ups. An active angel investor, board member, and advisor, Tondon also provides strategic guidance on fundraising, GTM strategies, and operational scaling. To read more about Tondon, visit here.
Baccalaureate Service
Prior to Commencement, the Class of 2026 will hold its Baccalaureate service on Friday, May 15, in historic Weaver Chapel. The ceremony will begin at 4 p.m.
Planned and led by members of the senior class and Vicar Don Humphreys, minister of Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church near campus, the Baccalaureate service is an academic and religious tradition that celebrates the upcoming Commencement festivities. The service, which will last approximately an hour, offers seniors an opportunity to reflect on their time at the University and to look to faith as they begin the next step in their journey.
The ceremony will include Scripture readings from the University’s historic Lutheran tradition, along with student readings, a senior blessing, a pastoral reflection, and several hymns. Participants in the service include President Brady, Vicar Humphreys, organist David Weimer, and senior class members selected to be readers in the ceremony.
Following the event, seniors and their families are invited to join President Brady and First Lady Elizabeth Brady for a casual reception at their home, the Benjamin Prince House. The event is another opportunity to celebrate the achievements of graduates and enjoy refreshments and conversation.
The Wittenberg Torch
During the Commencement ceremony, the Class of 2026 will carry on the tradition of celebrating the University’s motto, “Having Light We Pass It On To Others.” In keeping with the image depicted on the University’s official Seal, as shown on the Commencement program cover, the torch symbolizes the passing of light from one generation to the next, which has defined the Wittenberg experience for 176 years and united alumni across all classes.
Designed and handcrafted by Kenny Lake, retired carpenter foreman from Wittenberg’s Physical Plant, at the request of the Class of 2006, the torch used in the commencement ceremony is made entirely of walnut with 28 coats of tung oil applied. The flame itself consists of an intricate arrangement of brass, bronze, and copper petals, which Ed Charney, professor emeritus of art, helped to create. The torch is also celebrating a milestone as it turns 20 years old at this year’s ceremony.
Celebrations Prior to Commencement
Some of the numerous events that will take place this week leading up to Commencement include the annual nursing pinning ceremony, academic departmental celebrations, the Baccalaureate service, and the Lavender and Hitimu: Multicultural celebrations, which include student and alumni reflections, friends, family, faculty, and staff support, and a lot of celebrating.
The seventh annual Lavender Celebration, hosted by the William A. McClain Center, will take place on Wednesday, May 13, at the Center Dining Room (CDR), located on the second floor of the Benham-Pence Student Center. Lavender Celebration is a pre-Commencement event that honors the achievements of Wittenberg’s LGBTQIA+ graduates and the outstanding and meaningful work that community members and allies contribute to the campus and beyond. A celebration that began in the mid-1990s across the country, the event recognizes LGBTQIA+ students of all ethnicities and acknowledges their persistence, leadership, and contributions to the University. Wittenberg joined the many colleges and universities in celebrating this occasion in 2019. It has since become a University tradition.
On Thursday, May 14, graduates can attend a Senior Send-Off, presented by the Wittenberg Alumni Association, at Mother Stewart’s Brewing, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Graduating seniors, alumni, faculty, and staff are invited to this fun annual end-of-the-academic-year celebration that introduces seniors to the Wittenberg Alumni Association and provides an opportunity for the class of 2026 to gather one final time before Commencement. Participants can enjoy live music from Witt FREE, a Wittenberg-founded faculty-led band, and much more.
Following that celebration, Wittenberg’s William A. McClain Center will also host the seventh annual Hitimu: Multicultural Celebration honoring the University’s multicultural students on Friday, May 15, at the CDR in the Benham-Pence Student Center.
Graduating seniors are recognized at the Hitimu (meaning ‘graduate’ in Swahili) event in front of friends, family, and members of the Wittenberg University community and will receive a stole for their gown at graduation. Individuals will be recognized for their work in the various student groups throughout their time at Wittenberg. The stoles graduates wear collectively celebrate their identities, journeys, and individual achievements as students in obtaining college diplomas, as well as the legacies that Black, Latinx, Hawaiian/Polynesian, and Filipino graduating students have created and actively cultivated here at Wittenberg.
Commencement Exercises
As part of the Commencement exercises, the Myers Hall bell will toll 16 times at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning and again at 10 a.m. to notify the campus that the ceremony will be held in its intended outdoor location at the scheduled time of 11:30 a.m. If the bell does not ring, that will be a signal that the ceremony will take place inside at the Pam Evans Smith Arena.
Special parking has been arranged for physically disabled guests in the parking areas behind Carnegie and Recitation Halls. The exit to N. Plum Street (the road behind Koch Hall) will be reversed so that vehicles cannot exit onto N. Plum Street from W. Campus Drive, and instead, vehicles will be able to enter from N. Plum Street at 8 a.m. to allow easy access to the Recitation Hall and Carnegie Hall parking lots to accommodate parking for physically disabled guests only. To help alleviate traffic congestion, there will be no westbound traffic on W. Ward Street between Woodlawn Avenue and N. Wittenberg Avenue. Vehicular traffic will be redirected down Woodlawn Avenue to W. College Avenue. A shuttle service will be provided prior to and after the ceremony for those with mobility issues.
In order to allow guests to gather safely for the ceremony, Wittenberg will be closing East and West Campus Drives at 8 a.m. on May 16. Officers will be at these locations to assist graduates and their families and friends. Other parking locations include New Residence Hall, Tower Hall, Firestine Hall, Synod Hall, the Benham-Pence Student Center, and Krieg Hall. Click here for directions, campus maps, and detailed parking information.
In the event of inclement weather and Commencement needing to be held at the Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex, the University will not regulate traffic on Ward Street. Accessibility parking for an indoor Commencement ceremony is located in the Upper Lot (across from HWA). Guests with accessibility needs can enter the HWA via the entrance facing Bill Edwards Drive. A shuttle service will be provided prior to and after the ceremony for those with mobility issues, even if the event moves indoors.
Restrooms for an outdoor ceremony will be available on Commencement Day at Recitation Hall, Blair Hall, and Weaver Chapel. ADA-accessible facilities are located in Blair Hall and Weaver Chapel. ADA-accessible restrooms will also be available in the parking lot behind Carnegie Hall.
For those with special needs/requests regarding ceremony logistics, please contact Commencement Committee Chair Brandee Bates Kern at bbates@wittenberg.edu. For additional information, click here.
Immediately following the ceremony, Wittenberg will host a post-ceremony reception in honor of the class of 2026 along Alumni Way. Light snacks and beverages will be provided, and graduates will be able to retrieve their diplomas at this time. All family members are invited to attend, and faculty and staff will be present. The backup rain site for this event will be the 1929 Gymnasium.
For additional Commencement information, visit: www.wittenberg.edu/commencement. Be sure to follow a favorite Commencement tradition, #StompTheSeal, on social media, as well.
Can’t join us in person, watch the ceremony online here.
