Drexel's 2026 Commencement Program
This printable program booklet includes a listing of all 2026 degree recipients.
Ceremony Schedule
- Processional
- National Anthem
- Announcement of the Assembly
- Greetings from the Class of 2026
- Student Recognition
- Keynote Address
- Individual Recognition of Graduates
- Salute to Parents, Families and Faculty
- Recessional
Ceremony Speakers
Keynote Speaker: Gloria Donnelly, PhD, RN, FAAN, FCPP
Undergraduate Speaker: Jessica Poovathinkal, health sciences '26
Message from the Dean
Congratulations on reaching this extraordinary milestone! As your dean, it brings me great pride and joy to celebrate you and all that you have accomplished.
In my time here, I have come to appreciate the strength, compassion and resilience that define our students. You have pursued your education with determination, navigated challenges with courage and grown into professionals who are prepared to lead, heal and serve.
Know that you will always have a home here at the College of Nursing and Health Professions. As you move into the next chapter, remember that you carry with you the support, pride and belief of a community that believes in you.
Congratulations, Class of 2026!
With admiration and best wishes,
Emily Roper, PhD
About the Keynote Speaker
As a nurse educator for 40 years, Gloria Donnelly designed many new nursing programs, including four-year traditional BSN programs; a cooperative education (Learn and Work) BSN program; accelerated, second-degree programs; and graduate nursing programs. She was one of the first to design and offer nursing degrees online and in hybrid models.
Donnelly earned a BSN from Villanova University, an MSN from the University of Pennsylvania with an emphasis in psychiatric nursing, and a PhD in human development from Bryn Mawr College. She is the author of seven books and the winner of two American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year awards. Donnelly was the founding dean of nursing at La Salle University and the founding dean and a professor emerita at Drexel University's College of Nursing and Health Professions. Currently, Donnelly is working with Bayada Education to design innovative approaches to nursing education.
As the recently retired editor in chief of Holistic Nursing Practice, The Science of Health and Healing, she has influenced the practice of holistic self-care modalities to nurture mind, body and spirit. She is a scholar and advocate of the use of innovative digital technologies to improve health.
Donnelly is a stand-up comedian who has used her comedic talents to raise funds to assist nursing and health professions students and to manage her own stress.
She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the Philadelphia College of Physicians, the oldest medical society in the United States.
You're a Forever Dragon Now!
Don't Miss the University-Wide Commencement on June 11!
We hope you'll join us for this special event at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, June 11 at 5 p.m. We look forward to celebrating our graduates at the University-wide Commencement ceremony, where our newest Forever Dragons will get the chance to participate in a procession around the baseball field and have their degrees conferred before being officially welcomed into the ranks of Drexel alumni.