鶹ԭ

Home > 鶹ԭ celebrates the Class of 2026

MU logo
MU logo

Home > 鶹ԭ celebrates the Class of 2026

鶹ԭ celebrates the Class of 2026

Jun 2, 2026

鶹ԭ graduated 269 students at this year’s commencement ceremonies.

In total, 286 degrees were awarded, including 186 undergraduate degrees and 100 graduate and professional degrees. Twenty-eight students earned honors distinction.

This yearalsomarks the 10thanniversary ofthe graduation of Manchester’s inaugural pharmacy class in 2016. The program launched in 2012 alongside the opening of ManchesterUniversityFort Wayne.

David Haist, a 1973 Manchester graduate, was this year’s commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient.He served as a member of the 鶹ԭ Board of Trustees for fiveterms andbecame an honorary trustee in 2025.

The ceremonies highlighted several meaningful 鶹ԭ traditions. For the third year, some students were handed their diplomas by family members who work at Manchester, a tradition introduced by President Stacy H. Young in 2024.

With the installation of the Manchester Chime in 2022, another new tradition was born: students wait until they graduate to pass under the Chime. As part of the commencement recessional, new alumni walked through the Chime’s pillars for the first time.

Another longstanding tradition connects students’ first and final daysatManchester.As incoming students, all Spartans are given an acorn. After every graduation ceremony, when students have officially become alumni, they receive oak saplings from the Office of Alumni Relations,symbolizingtheir growthfrom acorns to oaks.

See photos from the undergraduate ceremonyand the graduate and professional ceremony.

For the media

鶹ԭ, in North Manchester and Fort Wayne, Ind., offers vibrant and transformative student experiences. Learn more atwww.manchester.edu/about-manchester.

Our mission and values

鶹ԭ respects the infinite worth of every individual andgraduatespersons of ability and conviction who draw upon their education and faith to lead principled, productive, and compassionate lives that improve the human condition.

More News

Researchers including 鶹ԭ’s Dr. Sabrina Brown reconstruct environmental history of Yellowstone’s geyser basins

Researchers including 鶹ԭ’s Dr. Sabrina Brown reconstruct environmental history of Yellowstone’s geyser basins

by | August 17, 2026 |

A studyincluding work from a 鶹ԭ professorreveals how climate and hydrothermal activity have shaped the vegetation, wildfire and aquatic ecosystem history of the Yellowstone Plateau over the past 15,000 years. The results of the National Science Foundation-funded project were published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Sabrina Brown, assistant professor of biology and environmental studies at 鶹ԭ, has spent the last decade conducting research in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.Her interest in Yellowstone National Park’s Lower Geyser Basinbegan in 2020when sheanalyzed sediment samples from Goose Lake, noticingalongside coauthors Cathy Whitlock and Chris Schillerthat its contents differed from those in lakebeds in other parts of the park, suggesting that distinct geologic factors may have influenced the lake’s evolution. Collaboratorson the projectincludedscientists fromMontana State University,theU.S. Geological Survey, Oregon State University,鶹ԭand Colorado State University. Inthis study,the teamcollectedcore samples from small lakesof different agesin theLower Geyser Basin, which is Yellowstone’s largestgeyser system.The lakes are closed, meaning that theyhave noinflowing or outflowingstreams. Pollen records from thelakesindicatethatafterthe ice receded, a grassysteppeecosystem developed onthe rhyolitevolcanic soils.Steppewas replaced byalodgepole pine forestthatestablishedbetween 12,800 and 11,000 years ago. Despitesubsequentchanges in climate,these pineforestshavechanged littlein composition, leading theauthors tosuggestthat lodgepole pine will continue to […]
NxtGen Leadership Camp students fill bags of dog food for service project.

鶹ԭ hosts more than 100 youth for NxtGen Leadership Camp

by | July 27, 2026 |

鶹ԭ hosted105campersfrom 26 Indiana high schoolsfor itsthird-annualNxtGenLeadership Camp from July6-10. The NxtGen Program on Campusis a Lilly Endowment-funded initiative designed to help Indiana colleges and universities in their efforts to create new or expand and enhance existing high-quality, on-campus programs for community youth. The program aims to increase opportunities for Indiana youth to participate in learning experiences on college campuses that expose them to Indiana’s higher education institutions, while also providing them with experiences that will help prepare them for success in college and beyond. The camp is hosted at no cost to campers, and a $250 stipend is provided to every participant at the end of the week to ease the financial burdens of the students and their families. Camp highlights this yearincluded academic explorationat both campuses, team building, college preparation andexperience, leadership development, and a trip to Camp Mack. In addition toparticipatingin academic and leadershipsessions, campersalsocompleted a service project for Humane Fort Wayne,baggingand delivering more than 1,000 poundsofdog food. One student said, “Going to the North Manchester and Fort Wayne campuses was impactful to me because it showed me the environment of a college. I’ve never truly been able to explore one before and it was a […]
exists --- (function ensure40pxInlineEarly() { function set40(el) { el && el.style.setProperty('padding-top', '40px', 'important'); } // If header already parsed, set now; otherwise set as soon as it appears. const hdrNow = document.getElementById(HEADER_ID); if (hdrNow) { set40(hdrNow); return; } new MutationObserver((muts, obs) => { const hdr = document.getElementById(HEADER_ID); if (hdr) { set40(hdr); obs.disconnect(); } }).observe(document.documentElement, { childList: true, subtree: true }); })(); // --- Helpers --- function hideDiviBars() { document.querySelectorAll('.divibars-container').forEach(div => { const content = (div.textContent || '').replace(/\u00A0/g, ' ').trim(); const shouldHide = !content || /all\s*clear/i.test(content) || /test/i.test(content) || /feed\s*has\s*no\s*items\.?/i.test(content); if (shouldHide) div.style.setProperty('display', 'none', 'important'); }); } function isEffectivelyVisible(el) { if (!el || !el.isConnected) return false; const target = el.querySelector('.divibars, .divibars-wrapper, .divibars-content') || el; const cs = getComputedStyle(target); if (cs.display === 'none' || cs.visibility === 'hidden' || target.hidden) return false; if (parseFloat(cs.opacity || '1') < 0.05) return false; if (target.closest('[aria-hidden="true"]')) return false; const rect = target.getBoundingClientRect(); const hasSize = (rect.width > 0 && rect.height > 0) || (target.offsetWidth > 0 && target.offsetHeight > 0); if (!hasSize) return false; const vh = window.innerHeight || document.documentElement.clientHeight; return rect.bottom > 0 && rect.top < vh; } function anyRealBannerVisible() { // A “real” banner = visible AND not empty/test/all-clear/feed-empty return Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(CANDS)).some(el => { if (!isEffectivelyVisible(el)) return false; const txt = (el.textContent || '').replace(/\u00A0/g, ' ').trim(); if (!txt) return false; if (/all\s*clear/i.test(txt) || /test/i.test(txt) || /feed\s*has\s*no\s*items\.?/i.test(txt)) return false; return true; }); } function setForce110(on) { const root = document.documentElement; const was = root.classList.contains('divibar-force-110'); if (!!on === was) return; root.classList.add('divibar-atomic'); root.classList.toggle('divibar-force-110', !!on); // If we’re NOT forcing 110, clear any stray inline 110 the plugin may add later. if (!on) { const hdr = document.getElementById(HEADER_ID); if (hdr) hdr.style.setProperty('padding-top', '40px', 'important'); } requestAnimationFrame(() => root.classList.remove('divibar-atomic')); } // Debounced 2-frame confirmation to avoid flicker during animations let raf1 = null, raf2 = null; function scheduleRecompute() { if (raf1) return; raf1 = requestAnimationFrame(() => { raf1 = null; hideDiviBars(); const a = anyRealBannerVisible(); raf2 = requestAnimationFrame(() => { raf2 = null; const b = anyRealBannerVisible(); setForce110(a && b); }); }); } // --- Wiring --- document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', scheduleRecompute); window.addEventListener('load', scheduleRecompute); window.addEventListener('resize', () => { cancelAnimationFrame(raf1); raf1 = null; cancelAnimationFrame(raf2); raf2 = null; scheduleRecompute(); }); new MutationObserver(() => scheduleRecompute()).observe(document.documentElement, { childList: true, subtree: true, attributes: true, attributeFilter: ['style', 'class', 'aria-hidden'] }); document.addEventListener('transitionend', e => { if (e.target && e.target.closest(CANDS)) scheduleRecompute(); }); document.addEventListener('animationend', e => { if (e.target && e.target.closest(CANDS)) scheduleRecompute(); }); document.addEventListener('click', function (e) { const btn = e.target && e.target.closest('.divibars-close'); if (!btn) return; setTimeout(() => { const bar = btn.closest('.divibars-container, [class*="divibar"]'); if (bar) bar.style.setProperty('display', 'none', 'important'); scheduleRecompute(); }, 200); }, true); // Initial pass scheduleRecompute(); })();