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Email cunews@colorado.edu to arrange interviews.Ìý

Unable to attend? Livestream links with captions in English and Spanish will be available at colorado.edu/commencementÌýthe morning of the ceremony.

• Special 150th commencement video: As we celebrate ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ's 150th anniversary, we're looking back on over a century of commencement ceremonies. ThisÌýspecial video will play during the ceremony.
• 91-year-old earns PhD – six decades in the making: A promise kept, six decades in the making: At 91 years old, Jean De Servien-Kenwood will graduate from ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ this spring with his PhD in French—something his late wife always wanted him to finish. After completing his coursework in the 1960s, life, careers and family delayed his dissertation. But following his wife’s passing, Jean returned to ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ to fulfill that vow, writing on spirituality in French literature. Read hisÌýstory. NOTE: Jean is in Milwaukee and available for phone interviews only.
• National Student Employee of the Year Recipients: This year, two ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ students earned national recognition from the National Student Employment Association. Braden O’Brien was named both the Overall National Student Employee of the Year – the highest honor in the competition – and the Technology and Innovation Category Winner. Arianna (Ari) McCarty was honored as the national Leadership Category Winner. Both students were recognized for their exceptional innovation, leadership and dedication to ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ mission.
• Chancellor’s Recognition Award: At the ceremony, 75 students will receive the Chancellor's Recognition Award, which honors undergraduates who have earned a 4.0 GPA throughout their coursework, with at least 90 credits at ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ.
• ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ Journalism Students Expose Hidden Practice of Medical Deportations in AP-Published Investigation: Two ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ journalism students uncovered a little-known issue in U.S. healthcare: medical deportations—when hospitals send uninsured noncitizen patients back to their home countries without ICE involvement. As part of the prestigious Carnegie-Knight News21 Fellowship, Jessi Sachs and Ann Marie Vanderveen spent 10 weeks investigating andÌýtelling the story of a couple facing forced return from a Philadelphia hospital. Their work was picked up nationally by The Associated Press and multiple other outlets.
• Colorado Law Graduate Logs 573 Pro Bono Hours, Joins State Public Defender’s Office: Rae Franz-Gilmore, 26, graduates from Colorado Law with 573 hours of pro bono work—one of 30 graduates this May to complete at least 50 hours of public service while earning a J.D. As a child, she experienced the legal system through her mother’s incarceration but only began considering a legal career while studying classics and political science at ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ. In law school, she built hands-on experience through the Criminal Defense Clinic, Korey Wise Innocence Project, Advanced Appellate Practicum, moot court and impactful internships. Her commitment to public service continues after graduation, as she plans to join the Colorado State Public Defender’s office.

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ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ Fun Facts

• Ranked No. 1 among universities for startup creation in 2024.
• Ranked No. 2 nationally for Peace Corps volunteers in 2026.
• No. 1 public university for NASA research funding.
• Ranked No. 3 for most beautiful college campus in the United States, according to Travel + Leisure (March 2026).
• The 2026 graduates will join more than 300,000 ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ alumni; approximately 154,000 alumni reside in Colorado.
• Home to 12 research institutes and 75 research centers.
• Commercialization activities generated $8.7 billion in economic impact nationwide and $5.1 billion in Colorado in cumulative activity over the past five years. That is an increase of $100 million in Colorado since the previous report in 2022.

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