commencement. | Photo from @westernoregonuniversity on Instagram
May 20, 2026 | Hannah Field | Editor-in-Chief
The Commencement Ceremony at Western has been announced for June 13, 2026, at McArthur Field. The event will begin at 10 a.m., but students graduating should check in at 9 a.m. at the Wolves Athletic Center. More than a thousand students are eligible to walk, and all students who are graduating will be able to have their names read aloud.
Following commencement, recent graduates — no longer students — will be led to the Grove for the president’s reception. The ceremony itself will be available to livestream on YouTube by the Western Oregon University account, beginning at 10 a.m.
Guest speakers include four Outstanding Student Award recipients: Ashley Radmer, Faith Howie, Aubree Reese and Jennifer Gage. The graduating class will be led to the field by four distinguished alumni from the class that graduated fifty years ago in 1976. John and Lois Schrenk, Jon Carey and Miriam Haugen will all be honored as Golden Wolves, per Western tradition. The president of ASWOU, Morgan Pemberton, will also speak.
Emma Hawkins, who will receive a bachelor’s in communication studies with a minor in the arts, said regarding the upcoming event, “I can’t believe how fast my time at WOU flew by! So many great memories with great company. Going to miss this beautiful campus!”
With similar excitement, Claire Phillips decorated her cap for the day.
“I feel excited and anxious to graduate soon. I feel like I did so much here at Western and fully took advantage of the college experience, between building a community and participating in various activities around campus. I feel like I still have so much to do before graduation though,” said Phillips. “And it’s weird that it will just all end one day. I am very much looking forward to celebrating with all the people who have supported me these last few years.”
Phillips continued: “As for Western, I am so grateful for all the opportunities I was given. Having so much individualized support definitely has helped me succeed over the years, and I have had the pleasure of meeting so many incredible people. It’s been a bittersweet ending, but I am so lucky to have many fond memories to look back on. I will miss this tight-knit community and all the connections I’ve made here at Western.”
Multiple other events to honor graduates will take place in May and June, including the Student Enrichment Program’s TRIO graduation event May 27 and the Lavender Graduation Celebration, which honors LGBTQIA+ students and acknowledges their unique experiences. Participating students will receive their lavender cords at the event, which will be held in the Werner University Center June 10, but entry is limited to a max capacity of 250 persons and two guests per graduate.
Military service cords are also available for students who have previously served or are currently serving in one of the five branches of the armed forces, including the National Guard and Reserves. Additionally, many students at graduation may be wearing their honor cords, which mark them as distinguished honors students based on their grade-point average. According to Western, there are more than 24 organizations, honor societies and programs that offer unique cords and stoles.
Students who have yet to purchase their graduation garb may do so at the Wolfstore, which has partnered with Jostens, within the WUC. Additionally, diploma frames and class rings are available for purchase and/or order.
Attending the Commencement Ceremony is free, but it is expected that the stadium will fill up with friends and family members of the graduating class, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests hoping to attend will have the best shot at getting seats by arriving earlier, with the gate opening at 8 a.m. All parking lots on campus are noted as available for guest parking.
Contact the author at howleditorinchief@wou.edu
