The University of Southern Maine will hold its 146th Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 9, with nearly 1,100 graduates registered to walk across the stage at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and will feature remarks by University President Jacqueline Edmondson, a student address by Najmo Ahmed, and a keynote address by honorary degree recipient Henry A. Giroux ’67, an internationally recognized scholar and distinguished alumnus of USM.
In all, 1,615 students were eligible to participate in this year’s commencement. Of those, 1,098 registered to take part in the ceremony, representing undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs across the University.
Giroux, who will receive an honorary doctorate, has built an internationally recognized body of work in critical pedagogy, examining education, democracy, and the responsibilities of public institutions.
President Edmondson, who studied under Giroux during her own graduate education at Penn State, reflected on the significance of his connection to USM.
“We are deeply proud to count Henry Giroux among our alumni,” Edmondson said. “His life’s work reflects our university’s highest ideals: a belief in education as a transformative human enterprise, a commitment to democratic values, and an unwavering dedication to the public interest.”
Ahmed, a first-generation college student from Lewiston, Maine, was selected as student speaker from among many submissions. She will earn her baccalaureate degree in social and behavioral sciences and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public health, which she expects to complete in spring 2027.
Among those recognized this year, 40 individuals will be awarded doctoral degrees — the largest number ever eligible in a single year at USM. Those graduates will be honored in a separate hooding ceremony on Friday, May 8, at 3:30 p.m. at the Abromson Community Education Center on the Portland campus.
Learn more about members of the Class of 2026 on USM’s Pack Chat blog, which features student profiles highlighting their experiences, accomplishments, and unique journeys to commencement day.
Complete details are available on the USM Commencement website, where the ceremony will also be livestreamed.