Although Commencement is usually a time to look ahead, the University’s Spring Commencement Ceremonies, held under brilliantly blue skies on the Quad from May 14-16, were also a time for the Class of 2026 to take stock of their time as students and what those experiences meant to them.
The recipients of 3,041 degrees, including 2,291 bachelor’s and 750 master’s and doctoral degrees, were reminded of this fact by University President Brian Sandoval. The University’s 17th president – also a 1986 graduate of the institution – told the Class of 2026 that the University was a place of permanence, and that it would always be the spot in their lives where they were “meant to be.”
“Today is about many things,” Sandoval said. “The permanence of what you’ve accomplished. The 152-year legacy of this University, which in a few moments you will join forever. And perhaps most of all, this moment which reminds us that in an ever-changing world, your experiences are going to serve as your trusted foundation.”
Sandoval told the Class of 2026 it was their experiences and accomplishments throughout their time as students that would help encourage them in all of their future endeavors.
“And let me be clear: The traditions, the history and the immense diversity that you’ve experienced here at our University is a wisdom for the ages that will accompany you forever,” Sandoval said. “It is a silver and blue light that will illuminate your path forward … it is one of the constants you will be able to count on in a constantly challenging world.”
In addition to the University’s graduates, among those also honored were two figures from Northern Nevada who received the Distinguished Nevadan award. Dixie May, a Reno philanthropist whose decades of generosity supported education, youth programs and community organizations across Northern Nevada, along with Reno attorney Thomas J. Hall, a past chair of the University Foundation and Alumni Association, both received Distinguished Nevadan awards during the Friday afternoon Commencement ceremony.
May was honored in 2001 by the University with the conferral of an honorary doctorate of humane letters, as well as receiving the Jake Lawlor Award in 2011. She served on the University of Nevada Foundation’s Board of Directors, including as chair, and is a board member of the Athletic Association of the University of Nevada. Hall received the University Alumni Association’s Service Award in 1980 and the Exceptional Achievement Award in 2018. He was presented with the President’s Medal in 2000.
An honorary degree was presented to Don Jensen, long recognized as a leader in Nevada’s business community, philanthropy and involvement. Jensen’s long-standing connection with the University dates back nearly four decades, and includes philanthropic support that has directly benefited academic programs, athletics and campus infrastructure.
The Herz Gold Medal, an award that dates back to 1910 and is presented each year to the University’s top senior graduate, was presented to Corban Eng King of the College of Engineering and the Honors College, who graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering.
Sandoval’s final message to the University’s graduates was one that straddled both the University’s past as he conjured the words of University benefactor Clarence Mackay from one hundred years ago, while also looking to what the future will hold for the Class of 2026.
“One hundred years ago, President Walter Clark shared a telegram from Clarence Mackay at the end of that May’s Commencement Ceremony in a flower-decked, overflowing University Gymnasium,” Sandoval said. “Clarence Mackay’s words that day to the Class of ’26 are as relevant today as ever. He wrote: ‘Tell the students for me to never forget their alma mater and keep the name of the University high.’
“You’ve already done all of this, and so much more, during your time with us.”
