It’s that time of year again! We are pleased to share the speakers and dates for the 2025 commencement ceremonies at Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States and Belize.
Canisius University
College of the Holy Cross and Gonzaga University
Georgetown University
Boston College: May 19 (Undergraduate, Graduate), May 23 (Law)
Undergraduate, Graduate: Dame Louise Richardson (president, Carnegie Corporation of New York); Law: Bob Casey (U.S. Senator of Pennsylvania, retired)
Canisius University: May 17
Rev. Zachariah F. Presutti ’07, S.J. (founder, Thrive for Life Prison Project) and Zeneta B. Everhart ’11 (Buffalo’s Common Councilwoman)
College of the Holy Cross: May 23
Linda LeMura, Ph.D. (president, Le Moyne College)
Creighton University: May 17
Carolyn Woo, Ph.D. (former president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) )
Fairfield University: May 17 (Graduate), May 18 (Undergraduate)
Undergraduate: Timothy Shriver, Ph.D. (chairman of the Special Olympics International Board of Directors); Graduate: Cathy E. Minehan (a distinguished leader in finance, higher education, and public service)
Fordham University: May 17
Regina Hall (award-winning actress and Fordham alumna)
Georgetown University: May 17 (Undergraduate) as well as additional dates and 13 additional speakers Undergraduate: Henry Winkler (Emmy Award-winning actor, director and author); Additional Graduate Programs: Please see full lineup here.
Gonzaga University: May 10 (Law, Graduate), May 11 (Undergraduate)
Law: Sen. Tim Kaine (U.S. Senator of Virgina); Graduate: Dr. Cornelia E. Davis (’67) (an award-winning epidemiologist, author, global health leader and proud alum of Gonzaga University); Undergraduate: Linda LeMura, Ph.D. (president, Le Moyne College)
John Carroll University: May 19 (Undergraduate)
Dr. Lisa Damour (renowned psychologist, best-selling author, and leading expert on adolescent and young adult development)
Le Moyne College: May 16 (Graduate), May 18 (Undergraduate)
Undergraduate: John Smarrelli, Jr. ’75, Ph.D. (higher education professor, department chair, provost and president), Graduate: Richard Malloy, S.J. (a visiting Jesuit on sabbatical at Le Moyne and the author of three books on Catholicism)
Loyola Marymount University: May 17 (Undergraduate), May 18 (Graduate and LMU Loyola Law School)
Speakers to be announced soon; check LMU 2025 Commencement for updates.
Loyola University Chicago: May 6 (School of Education; School of Environmental Sustainability; Graduate School; Institute of Pastoral Studies), May 7 (Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing; Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health; School of Social Work; School of Communication; School of Continuing and Professional Studies), May 8 (Quinlan School of Business), May 9 (College of Arts and Sciences), May 10 (School of Law, Stritch School of Medicine), August 16 (Arrupe College)
Business School Speaker: Pablo Di Si (retired president and chief executive officer, Volkswagen Group of America); All Additional Programs: Please see full lineup here.
Loyola University Maryland: May 17
McKenzie Coan, ’18 (Paralympian, author, and disability rights advocate)
Loyola University New Orleans: May 10 (Undergraduate, Graduate, College of Law)
Undergraduate, Graduate: Tom Gruber (an artificial intelligence entrepreneur who co-founded and led the design team that created the Apple assistant, Siri), College of Law: Calvin Duncan (founder and director of the Light of Justice program at Loyola’s Jesuit Social Research Institute)
Loyola University Chicago
Santa Clara University
The University of Scranton
Marquette University: May 10 (Undergraduate, Graduate School and Graduate School of Management)
Undergraduate: Diane Foley (president of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation), Graduate School & Graduate School of Management: Dr. Anne Basting (emerita professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and founder of the award-winning nonprofit TimeSlips.org)
Regis University: May 3 (Graduate), May 4 (Undergraduate)
Undergraduate: Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez of the Colorado Supreme Court, Graduate: Donald J. Mares, Esq. (President and CEO of The Colorado Trust)
Rockhurst University: May 10
Stephen Schneck, ’76 (longtime professor at the Catholic University of America, frequent media commentator and advocate for Catholic social teaching)
Saint Joseph’s University: (May 14-17) – May 14 (School of Nursing and Allied Health), May 15 (Graduate), May 16 (Erivan K. Haub School of Business [Undergraduate], School of Education and Human Development, School of Health Professions and Philadelphia College of Pharmacy [Undergraduate]), May 17 (College of Arts and Sciences)
Remarks will be delivered by students at each ceremony.
Saint Louis University: May 17
Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D. (outgoing SLU president, 33rd president in SLU’s history)
Saint Peter’s University: May 19
Marta Costanzo Youth ’87 (global diplomat and Saint Peter’s alumna)
Santa Clara University: May 24 (Jesuit School of Theology, School of Law), June 14 (Undergraduate, Graduate)
Undergraduate: Jayshree V. Ullal ’86 (CEO and chairperson of Arista Networks), Graduate: Kathy Nicholson Hull ’80 (founder of the first freestanding pediatric palliative care center in the United States), Jesuit School of Theology: Antonio Spadaro, S.J. (a Jesuit priest who serves as undersecretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education), Law: Howard S. Charney, MBA ’73, J.D. ’77, Hon. ’18 (a technology pioneer and former Cisco senior vice president)
Seattle University: June 16
Speakers to be announced soon.
Spring Hill College: May 10
Fr. Mark Andrew Lewis, S.J. (Rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome)
St. John’s College (Belize): May 30
Main Speaker: Dr. Alice Peralta (president of St. John’s College)
The University of Scranton: May 18 (Undergraduate, Graduate)
Undergraduate: Nicole Young ’00, H’20 (16-time Emmy Award-winning senior producer for “60 Minutes”
University of Detroit Mercy: May 10
Undergraduate: James E. White (CEO, Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network), School of Dentistry: Cheri Newman, D.D.S. ’89, ’90, ’98 (Faculty, Detroit Mercy Dental), School of Law: Gary Peters ’84, U.S. Senator
University of San Francisco: May 15 (School of Nursing and Health Professions), May 16 (College of Arts and Sciences [Undergraduate, Graduate], School of Education), May 17 (School of Management [Undergraduate, Graduate, Professional Bachelor’s]; School of Law)
Undergraduate humanities and sciences graduates: Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. All additional programs: Please see full lineup here.
Xavier University: May 17 (Undergraduate, Graduate)
Holly Schapker (1992 Xavier graduate and prolific American artist whose sacred art paintings have made a global impact)
Contact: AJCU Communications Team
(202) 862-9893, dhowes@ajcunet.edu
Above: All photos courtesy of the speakers and their respective AJCU schools