Thousands of Jayhawks finally made their way through the Campanile Sunday as graduates who no longer had to fear they’d never get their diplomas if they had made the passage sooner.
Stuart Day, dean of the School of Professional Studies, said he lost a little sleep when his daughters strolled through the Campanile without a care in the world at ages 2 and 4. It turned out that wasn’t necessary, though.
He addressed Emma, the younger of the two, among those graduating Sunday. She’d faced the curse head-on and won, Day said.
“Grit, hard work and a little luck got you here today, and your family is proud of you,” he said, “like every family and friend in this stadium is proud of the toddlers who somehow, in the blink of an eye, have grown up.”
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Lisa Wolf-Wendel, associate dean for research and graduate studies, said the graduates have “conducted research, volunteered their time and talent, traveled the globe, won awards, and spent hours upon hours upon hours in labs, studios, and classrooms.”
Chancellor Doug Girod said some experiences may have been more transformational for students than others — helping patients in clinics, interning for companies and nonprofits, performing onstage, hosting charity events and assisting with research that’s going to make a difference.
“So in other words, while you’ve been at KU improving yourselves, you really, in fact, have improved the university as well, and for that we thank you,” Girod said.
In keeping with tradition, deans of each school spoke briefly to recognize the respective graduates.
Kevin Leonard, associate dean of the School of Engineering, said the school’s nearly 800 Jayhawks of 2026 were part of the largest graduating class of any engineering program in the history of the state.
Jennifer Roberts, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, told graduates that they’ve “crossed disciplines, wrestled with big questions, and discovered that the best answers almost always lead to even better questions.”
“That curiosity, that drive, that refusal to settle for surface-level understanding — that is what a liberal arts and science education builds,” Roberts said. “You leave here ready to contribute to the world that needs you, your ideas, your creativity, your connection to other people, and your conviction that things can be better.”
Rick Ginsberg, dean of the School of Education, said he’d be stepping away this summer after serving 21 years in a role that had been an honor and a privilege.
He encouraged students to embrace the traditions that bind together the Jayhawks who have taken off and soared toward careers of meaning and service, including the chant KU alumni recognize around the world: “Rock chalk.”
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