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As cheers echoed through First Horizon Coliseum and graduates waved to family members in the crowd, thousands of students from University of North Carolina at Greensboro closed one chapter of their lives and stepped into another during the university’s 2026 Spring Commencement ceremonies.
This year’s commencement celebrated the awarding of 2,813 degrees, including 2,030 bachelor’s degrees, 704 master’s degrees and 79 doctoral degrees. More than 800 undergraduate students graduated with honors.
The undergraduate ceremony was held on the morning of May 8, recognizing graduates representing 67 majors across the university. For many students, the ceremony marked the culmination of years of late nights, challenges, personal growth and discovery.
“This is your day,” Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam Jr. told graduates. “No matter where life takes you tomorrow, next year, or decades from now, you will carry this day with you.”
Gilliam reflected on the many paths students took to reach commencement, acknowledging everything from long nights studying to involvement in campus organizations and activities.
“Whatever your journey looked like,” he said, “you found your spark. Your purpose. Your ‘why.’”
“There’s a lesson in that,” he continued. “When you take a chance on yourself, when you lean into your potential, good things happen. When you persevere, work hard, and show initiative, you open doors you thought were closed.”
Class speaker Jihay McLaughlin spoke directly to her classmates about the sense of purpose and community they found during their years at UNCG. McLaughlin earned a Bachelor of Arts in media studies with minors in sociology, new media and design, and photography. She also served as president of UNCG’s Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society chapter.
“UNCG doesn’t just give you a degree. It gives you a community that stretches you. It challenges you. It dares you to show up fully. Being a Spartan is not about perfection. It’s about participation,” McLaughlin said.
She reminded graduates that their education prepared them not only for careers, but also to make meaningful contributions in their communities and professions.
“Class of 2026, we are creatives. We are scholars. We are entrepreneurs. We are advocates. We are future doctors, artists, educators, researchers, and community builders,” she said.
McLaughlin closed her remarks with a hopeful challenge to her classmates as they begin life after college.
“Let’s keep showing up,” she said. “Let’s keep creating. Let’s keep leading, not because we need the spotlight, but because we understand the power of impact. Four years ago, we arrived here with potential. Today, we leave with purpose.”
The undergraduate ceremony also included special recognition for faculty excellence. The UNC System Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award was presented to Jeff Sarbaum, Sue W. Cole Distinguished Senior Lecturer of Economics in the Bryan School.
The university’s master’s and doctoral commencement ceremony took place the morning before, on May 7, honoring graduate students who completed advanced degrees after years of research, study and professional dedication.
“Take a moment, at least today, and savor this,” Chancellor Gilliam told graduates. “You know why? Because you earned this. It is an earned achievement.”
The keynote speaker for the graduate ceremony was Brian Hall, president of real estate at Samet Corporation and a 2012 UNCG MBA graduate. During his 17-year career in real estate development, Hall has overseen more than five million square feet of industrial and medical development projects across the Carolinas.
Reflecting on his own professional journey, Hall told graduates that success is rarely a perfectly straight path. He encouraged them to remain committed to growth, humility and service as they move into the next stage of life.
“Stay curious. Stay humble,” he said. “Your education doesn’t end today. It just changes venues. The skills that got you here will matter, but your willingness to keep learning and growing in wisdom will matter more.”
During the ceremonies, honorary degrees were also awarded to Greensboro attorney Randall Kaplan and healthcare leader Susan M. Safran.
Kaplan received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in recognition of his legal career, philanthropy and longstanding support of the university. He currently serves on the UNCG Board of Trustees and has held leadership roles with several university advisory and fundraising committees.
Safran, a 1977 UNCG graduate, received an honorary Doctor of Science degree for her contributions to healthcare, emergency medical training, and UNCG’s nursing program. After beginning her career in nursing and healthcare management, she founded CPR Consultants in 1988, one of the nation’s earliest American Heart Association training centers, helping train hundreds of thousands of people in lifesaving cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques.
As graduates turned their tassels and embraced family and friends following the ceremonies, the message throughout commencement remained clear: their time at UNCG was not simply about earning a diploma, but about discovering purpose, building resilience and preparing to make an impact far beyond campus.
