UCCS Celebrates Spring Class Of 2026 (Photo) - 05/15/26

UCCS conferred over 1,300 degrees to students from the Class of 2026 on Friday, May 15 during the Spring 2026 Commencement ceremonies at the Broadmoor World Arena. Graduates this semester earned 11 doctoral degrees, 419 master’s degrees and 1,180 bachelor’s degrees.
 

The morning Commencement Marshal Constance Staley, Professor of Communication in the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences; the afternoon Commencement Marshal Jena McCollum, Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering in the College of Engineering and Applied Science; Jennifer Sobanet, Chancellor of UCCS; Todd Saliman, President of the University of Colorado system; Aiden Burke, Student Government Association President; Isabella Polombo, Student Government Association Vice President; and Student Achievement Award speakers Brittany Iheomamere and Cana Adiso addressed graduates during the ceremonies.
 

“Small, consistent actions—learning a skill, nurturing a relationship, taking care of your health, building a career—compound into something extraordinary,” said Staley. “You don’t need dramatic leaps to build a meaningful life. You need steady, intentional steps. Pay attention to the slow changes. Trust the steady steps. And keep moving toward the life you want to build.”
 

Chancellor Sobanet then took the stage.
 

“Commencement is a joyous time where we reflect on how far you’ve come and the purpose you carry forward,” Chancellor Sobanet shared in her address. “This moment invites us to honor both our legacy and our future. The world’s challenges are real, but so is our capacity to meet them. At UCCS we are powered by people who lead with care and courage, grounded in research and creative works, and deeply connected to Colorado and its communities. We serve generously, invest our talents in our communities, and engage in civil discourse that fuels new ideas and meaningful solutions. By honoring our differences and drawing strength from what unites us, we carry the Mountain Lion spirit into the next chapter—advancing our community, our nation, and our world.”
 

In his address, President Saliman urged students to continue honing their skills, especially the skill of listening and how it can be used to connect with others, and balancing when to listen and when to speak up.
 

“With drive, curiosity, grit – and maybe one or two (or several) all-nighters – you’ve earned your CU degree and in doing so, you’ve proven to yourselves that you have what it takes to succeed,” said President Saliman. “As you undoubtedly know by now, the world is full of remarkable opportunity as well as tremendous complexity. You have the knowledge and skills to navigate both. But there’s one skill I want to focus on today. It’s absolutely critical, deceptively simple and in short supply.” 
 

“That skill is listening,” he continued. “Listening means more than simply waiting for your turn to speak. It means really hearing others, being interested in them, engaging with them, asking questions. Paying attention to their words but also hearing what’s behind their words and what they really care about. Being a good listener isn’t about mastering a technique. It’s about choosing not to fill every silence. It’s about recognizing that the person across from you has something to say that’s worth hearing. And that they come to the conversation with real world experiences – just like you do – that animate their opinions. Let me be clear: Listening does not mean disappearing. It doesn’t mean giving up your voice. It means finding balance – knowing when to speak and when to pause so others can be heard. If you’re the person who listens first and then speaks, I guarantee you will stand out. People will notice. More importantly, you’ll build trust. And that trust will allow you to impact the world around you. And that is exactly what we need you to do. Impact the world. Make it better. Our world needs your ideas, your energy, your grit and your leadership. It also needs your attention, your willingness to listen and your effort to connect.”
 

In the afternoon ceremony, Marshal McCollum urged students to celebrate their failures and learn from them.
 

“Are you here because of your successes…or because of your failures?” said McCollum. “Every person here has already done something difficult. You’ve navigated a path that had no clean lines, no perfect map, and no guarantee of success. You didn’t do it perfectly. No one did. You struggled, you adjusted, you kept going and that is exactly why you’re sitting here today. Every one of you has had moments where things didn’t go the way you planned. A class that didn’t go right. A path that didn’t work out. A moment where you had to adjust. Those weren’t detours away from your success. They were part of it.”
 

The ceremony included the recognition of twelve Golden Graduates, members of the Class of 1976 who celebrated 50 years since their own UCCS graduation.

To close the ceremonies, Regent Spiegel, Regent Montera, Regent Hood and Regent McNulty delivered the traditional Norlin Charge to graduates. The charge dates back to CU Boulder president George Norlin’s delivery of the June 1935 Commencement ceremony. The words of the Norlin Charge are now read to the graduating class each year at each of the four CU campuses, as a reminder that graduates will carry their experiences at the university with them forever.
 

“Commencement does not mean, as many wrongly think, the breaking of ties and the beginning of life apart,” reads the charge. “Rather, it marks your initiation in the fullest sense into the fellowship of the university, as bearers of her torch, as centers of her influence, as promoters of her spirit.”
 

“The university consists of all who come into and go forth from her halls, who are touched by her influence and who carry on her spirit. Wherever you go, the university goes with you. Wherever you are at work, there is the university at work.”