Commencement speakers and admin address teamwork and support at the university’s 442nd commencement ceremony

Reegan Davis, Audrey Coleman
Sun, 10 May 2026 19:29:17 +0000
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Graduates singing Carmen Ohio at commencement. May 10, 2026. Credit: Cassandra D’Angelo | Sports Photo Editor.

University President Ravi Bellamkonda, philanthropist and commencement speaker E. Roe Stamps IV and graduating student speaker Molly Ranz Calhoun emphasized the importance of teamwork, support systems and safeguarding the future during Ohio State’s 442nd commencement ceremony Sunday at Ohio Stadium.

Held on Mother’s Day, the ceremony honored the families, mentors and loved ones who helped graduates reach the milestone, with speakers repeatedly encouraging students to recognize the people who supported them throughout their college careers while preparing for life after graduation.

“It’s Mother’s Day, and I know there’s some very proud moms out in the audience, as well as other teammates who helped this graduating class get to where you are,” Stamps said. “If you will, graduating class, please rise and give your teammates the rousing level of applause that they so richly deserve.”

Out of 12,315 graduates who received degrees 9,183 attended the ceremony. The university awarded 339 doctorate degrees, 1,825 received their master’s degrees, 950 professional degrees and 9,201 bachelor’s degrees.?

Melissa Shivers opened the ceremony by reflecting on the scale and significance of commencement at Ohio State.

Students from nearly 90 countries across six continents received diplomas at the university’s main commencement ceremony, something Shivers described as uncommon for a large institution.

“Commencement at The Ohio State University is not only a tangible demonstration of our institutional purpose, but also a celebration of excellence,” Shivers said.?

Bellamkonda spoke after the singing of the national anthem and invocation delivered by Imani Jones before introducing Stamps.?

Stamps, co-founder of Summit Partners and founder of the Stamps Scholarship Program, centered his address around four life lessons for graduates: reflect on where you are in life, make thoughtful decisions, continue investing in yourself and surround yourself with the right team.

“You have a lot of time to do a lot of great things, and I hope you will do exactly that. [But] it needs safeguarding. It needs you to work really hard, make good decisions, avoid bad ones, to invest in yourselves and for you to join and contribute to a winning team,” Stamps said. “I think that your future is your most valuable lesson, I would recommend that you safeguard it very, very carefully going forward.”?

John W. Zeiger, the chair of the university Board of Trustees, later awarded Stamps his honorary doctorate degree in public service. Zeiger also presented the Distinguished Service Awards, which were given to Tahlman Krumm Jr. and Edgar Lampert.?

The deans of each college then presented candidates for degrees before students stood alongside their colleges for recognition and applause from family and friends in attendance.

Calhoun closed the ceremony by recognizing the more than 1,000 graduates who are mothers or mothers-to-be, tying the speech back to the ceremony’s Mother’s Day setting.?

“If I can leave you with just one bit of wisdom, it is moms: keep talking to your kids. They hear more than they will admit to,” Calhoun said. “Graduates, listen to your mother. You might be quoting her someday in a commencement speech.”

As of Sunday, Ohio State’s alumni network includes more than 640,000 graduates worldwide. The nearly three-hour ceremony concluded with the singing of “Carmen Ohio” before undergraduate and master’s students received their diplomas individually.