COLUMBIA, KY (8/5/26) Before the Lindsey Wilson University community officially welcomes the Class of 2030 to campus on Aug. 22, it will hold one more celebration of the Class of 2026.
For the first time in school history, Lindsey Wilson will hold a summer commencement ceremony. The ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 in Biggers Sports Center. Tickets are not required for the ceremony.
A total of 278 degrees will be awarded -- 37 bachelor of arts degrees, 237 master degrees and four doctorate degrees.
The summer commencement ceremony was added to accommodate the university's graduate students, many of whom finish their coursework in the summer and are often unable to attend the university's winter or spring commencement ceremonies.
"Our academic advisers told us that because of our graduate students' work schedules in the fall and spring, many of them have to skip their commencement ceremony," said Helen MacLennan, dean of the Lindsey Wilson School of Graduate Business & Technology. "They were thrilled when the university's administration decided to add a summer commencement ceremony, and we're excited to celebrate the big day with our graduates."
Lindsey Wilson awarded a total of 1,449 degrees at its December and May commencement weekends in 2025-26, which were held over five ceremonies. The 278 degrees to be awarded at the university's inaugural summer commencement will take the total number of graduates to 1,727 -- six shy of Lindsey Wilson's record class of 1,733 graduates that graduated in 2024-25.
"We're pleased to offer this summer commencement ceremony because we know how hard our students have worked to get to this point in their academic careers," said Lindsey Wilson Vice President for Academic Affairs Ray Lutgring, who announces the graduates before they receive their diploma and shake hands with Lindsey Wilson President William T. Luckey Jr. "Walking across the stage of Biggers Sports Center is the capstone of a student's Lindsey Wilson career, and I look forward to announcing them at our first summer commencement."
Graduates will assemble in the university's Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center, where they will receive assistance with their regalia and be able to take pictures against a Lindsey Wilson photo backdrop. The ceremony will also be livestreamed on the university's YouTube channel -- youtube.com/@LindseyWilsonUniversity.
For questions, contact the LWU Office of the Registrar at registrar@lindsey.edu 270-384-8025.
