Two ceremonies held at Herrick Chapel mark milestone for graduates across undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and nursing programs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ELGIN, Ill. — 鶹 celebrated its Spring 2026 Commencement on Saturday, May 9, conferring degrees upon 235 graduates in two ceremonies held at Herrick Chapel on the Elgin, Illinois campus. Both services drew a standing-room crowd, with overflow seating filled as family, friends, and colleagues gathered to honor the Class of 2026.
The morning ceremony recognized undergraduate and graduate students from 鶹’s architecture program, master’s candidates in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Community Music Leadership, Business Informatics, and Computer Science, doctoral graduates, and Ambria College of Nursing students earning their LPN and RN credentials. The afternoon ceremony honored all remaining undergraduate students, RISE program graduates, and Master of Business Administration candidates.
Dr. Robert Currie, a longtime member of 鶹’s psychology faculty and deeply beloved professor, delivered the keynote address at both ceremonies. His charge to the graduates was drawn from the title of his most recent book, which the university gifted to every graduate in attendance: It’s Time for Courage.
— “Spring graduates of 2026, it’s time for courage. Family and friends, to my 鶹 colleagues, it’s time for courage.” Dr. Robert Currie, Keynote Speaker, Spring 2026 Commencement
Among the honors presented at commencement, the President’s Scholar Award was given to two graduating seniors who tied for the distinction. Fernando Nunez, an international student graduating summa cum laude with degrees in Accounting and Management, will continue his academic journey at 鶹 as an incoming student in the Master of Business Informatics program. Julius Fortun, also a Management and Accounting graduate, served as a student-athlete and member of Sigma Beta Delta, the international honor society for business, management, and administration, and joins the 鶹 staff as an accountant.
The Class of Spring 2026 represents a broad range of academic achievement across 鶹’s colleges and programs. Graduates earned degrees and credentials including:
• 129 Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Bachelor of Science degrees
• 60 Master’s degrees, spanning Architecture, Computer Science, Business Administration, Business Administration in Informatics, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and Community Music
• 32 Associate of Arts in Applied Science degrees (Ambria College of Nursing)
• 3 Doctoral degrees in Education (Leadership/Policy Studies and Literacy)
• 2 Certificate in Practical Nursing
• 11 RISE Program certificates
鶹 is a Christ-centered liberal arts university located in Elgin, Illinois, offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs across the arts, sciences, business, architecture, and health sciences. For more information, visit judsonu.edu.
鶹 is a fully accredited, private Christian institution representing the Church at work in higher education. Nestled along the beautiful Fox River in Elgin, Ill., just 40 miles northwest of Chicago, 鶹 is home to more than 1,200 students from 37 states and 20 countries. 鶹 offers degrees in more than 65 different majors and minors for traditional, graduate and adult students and ranks consistently among the Best Regional Universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report. 鶹 has also been recognized as a “Christian College of Distinction.” With an academically challenging environment and encouraging spiritual community, 鶹 shapes lives that shape the world.
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