Commencement Information

Schedule


Thursday, April 30, 2026

8 – 10 p.m. Senior Party
Shaw CLC Auditorium
Alumni Office Celebrating the Senior Class!
This is a private event for students only.

Friday, May 1, 2026

10:30 a.m. -10:45 a.m. Senior Scholar Athlete Photo
Steps of Morrison
10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Senior Class Photo (Traditional Undergraduate)
Hughes Auditorium Steps (Inclement Weather—Hughes Stage)
10:45 AM RESTORED CLASS PHOTO
Picture time is at 11:00 am, on Hughes steps (inclement weather – Hughes stage)
Senior Head Shots with photographers – Alumni Office (for composite)
*Please come in your cap and gown*
This is a private event for graduates.
Noon – 1 p.m. Graduate Celebration Lunch
Johnson Building (The Eatery)
For graduates, faculty, and interested staff. Graduating students will swipe; if out of swipes, the cost will be covered.
1 – 2:30 p.m. Luce Come & Go for Graduates
Luce Center Gym
Walk through the Commencement venue and find your assigned seat. Student rehearsal video will be streaming on Luce monitors.  Regalia swap, if needed.
This is a private event for graduates, family, and invited guests only.
7 – 8 p.m. Baccalaureate
Hughes Auditorium
6:40 p.m. – Student/Faculty Processional line-up, between Kinlaw and Hughes  (inclement weather, Hughes basement)
*Graduates, Please come in your cap and gown*
Speaker: Dr. Kevin Brown, President
The event will be live-streamed, and is not a ticketed event
This is a private event for graduates, family, and invited guests only.
8 – 9 p.m. Graduate Reception with Faculty
Miller Building
This is a private event for graduates, family, and invited guests only.

Saturday, May 2, 2026

10 a.m. Commencement: College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences; Dayton School of Business; School of Christian Studies
The event will be live-streamed.
Ticket required for guest admission.
2:30 p.m. Commencement: School of Communication Arts, School of Education, Shaw School of Sciences
The event will be live-streamed.
Ticket required for guest admission.

Traditional Undergraduate INFORMATION


Thursday, April 30, 2026

8 – 10 p.m. Senior Party
Shaw CLC Auditorium
Alumni Office Celebrating the Senior Class!
This is a private event for students only.

Friday, May 1, 2026

1 – 2:30 p.m. Luce Come & Go (Graduates)
Luce Center Gym

Graduates will be able to:

  • Walk through the Commencement venue and find your assigned seat
  • Watch student rehearsal video which will be streaming on Luce monitors
  • Swap Regalia, if needed

Please watch the following video for details about Commencement.

Senior Class Photo (Traditional Undergraduate)
Hughes Auditorium Steps (Inclement Weather—Hughes Stage)
10:45 a.m. RESTORED CLASS PHOTO
Picture time is at 11:00 a.m., on Hughes steps (inclement weather – Hughes stage)
Senior Head Shots with photographers – Alumni Office (for composite)
*Please come in your cap and gown

Regalia

Full regalia (cap, tassel, and gown) has been ordered for eligible on-campus graduates who indicated they would be attending Commencement on their Graduation Application. Only University-issued academic honor cords may be worn during Commencement services.

Traditional undergraduate students can pick up their regalia and tickets during the Cap & Gown Pickup/Graduation Checklist event April 22-24 in the Farm Boys room in Kinlaw Library. Pick-up dates are divided by school/college, based on primary major as viewable on your Portal Degree Progress Audit. See below for schedule details (please note that pick-up will begin after chapel on Wednesday and Friday):

Graduates from these schools/colleges:

  • College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
  • Dayton School of Business
  • School of Christian Studies

Your regalia pick-up time is: Wednesday, April 22, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Graduates from these schools/colleges:

  • School of Communication Arts
  • School of Education
  • Shaw School of Sciences

Your regalia pick-up time is: Thursday, April 23, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Graduates from any school can pick up regalia on Friday, April 24, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

If you are unable to pick up your regalia at this time, please email the Registrar’s Office at registrar@asbury.edu.

Each graduate will be permitted to have four guests for in-person attendance. Tickets are required for entry and tickets will be unique to each service. Graduates will receive tickets with their cap/gown.

Please reference Schedule above for full listing of Commencement weekend activities.

For additional ticket consideration: 2026 Commencement Additional Ticket Request

Graduate Studies & Online Undergraduate (APS) Information


Regalia: Participating graduates will order their full regalia (cap/tassel, gown, plus hood for Master’s students) through our vendor’s website and bring their regalia to Commencement. Please reference your Asbury email or contact registrar.info@asbury.edu for ordering information.  The final deadline to order is March 31, 2026.

Only University-issued academic honor cords may be worn during Commencement services. Academic honor cords will be distributed to eligible graduates on Commencement day.

Tickets: Each graduate will be permitted to have four guests for in-person attendance. Tickets are required for entry and tickets will be unique to each service. Graduates will receive their tickets by mail in April 2026. Please contact the Registrar’s Office  if your address has changed recently.

For additional ticket consideration: 2026 Commencement Additional Ticket Request

Please watch the following video for details about Commencement.

Each graduate will be permitted to have four guests for in-person attendance. Tickets are required for entry and tickets will be unique to each service. Graduates will receive tickets with their cap/gown.

Please reference Schedule above for full listing of Commencement weekend activities.

For additional ticket consideration: 2026 Commencement Additional Ticket Request

Commencement Speaker(s)

Billy & JoannA Coppedge

Billy and Joanna Coppedge

Elsie, Lucy, Sophie, Chloe & Blake

Missionaries in Scotland

One of the core convictions for our family is that God brings about transformation in the human heart when people encounter Jesus through God’s Word. But how does the church make disciples today of people who either cannot read or who just do not like to read? After twenty years of being involved in working alongside the church in Uganda, we still believe God loves to encounter people through His Word. For our family, orality and tools such as oral Bible storytelling have become strategic means of helping people access and engage the Scriptures so they can encounter Jesus Christ.
 
As global orality catalysts, we have the privilege of helping others experience orality, grow in their understanding of orality, and consider how oral strategies could be applied in their ministry context. We do this by developing resources, facilitating trainings, and helping missionaries and other partners network among those interested in utilizing oral strategies such as oral Bible storytelling to make disciples for Jesus.

We are currently based in Scotland and thank Jesus for the opportunity to help other people, whether locally here in the U.K. or globally, encounter God through His Word.

Joanna graduated from Asbury in 2003 with a BA in psychology and from Wesley Biblical Seminary in 2006 with an MA in theology. Billy graduated from Asbury in 2002 with a BA in history and from Wesley Biblical Seminary in 2006 with an MDiv. He completed an MLitt in Theology, Imagination and the Arts from the University of St. Andrews in 2015 and received his doctorate in World Christianity from the University of Edinburgh in 2019.

Media

Commencement Photos

At each Commencement, a professional photographer will photograph graduates receiving their diploma covers.

Commencement photos will be available upon completion of the event and posted at laubmediagroup.com. Any questions ahead of time can be directed to Abby Laub at 859.967.6680.

A complimentary class photo will be sent to graduates and a variety of other digital and print options will be available for purchase. Looking for more graduation memories?

Asbury’s Sarah Goul captured 2025 Commencement candid moments, now available to view and download on our SmugMug gallery

Commencement Videos

Commencement videos are available each year on Vimeo.com. If you have any questions, please contact I.T. Services at itservices@asbury.edu.

Contact Information

Specific questions should be directed to the following contacts. Additional questions may be directed to provost@asbury.edu.

Watch the 2026 Baccalaureate and Commencement Services

Baccalaureate Service May 1, 2026 | 7:00 PM

Commencement May 2, 2026 | 10:00 AM

Commencement May 2, 2026 | 2:30 PM

Secret Link