2025-2026 Academic Year
Master’s and Doctoral Candidates
Teaching and Service Credential Candidates
Thursday, June Eleventh
Two Thousand Twenty-Six
Four O’Clock in the afternoon
Commencement Green
Ceremony
PROCESSION
The audience is requested to stand while the procession is entering.
Rita Raley, University Marshal
Divisional Chair, Academic Senate
PRESIDING
Dr. Janine Jones
Associate Vice Chancellor for Graduate Affairs
Anne and Michael Towbes Graduate Dean
NATIONAL ANTHEM
Lorenzo Johnson, Jr.
DMA in Music
DEAN’S WELCOME
Dean Jones
GREETINGS
Dennis Assanis
Chancellor
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Ambassador Marc B. Nathanson, MA ‘69
STUDENT ADDRESS
Alden Benjamin Lopez-Hernandez, Jr.
MST in Education
MED in Education
PRESENTATION OF THE WINIFRED AND LOUIS LANCASTER DISSERTATION AWARDS
Social Sciences
Sienna Helena Sinense Parker
PhD in Technology Management
Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering
Alexander Davydov
PhD in Mechanical Engineering
PRESENTATION OF CANDIDATES
University Marshal Raley
CANDIDATE STAGE CROSSING
CONFERRING OF DEGREES
Chancellor Assanis
University Marshal Raley
UNIVERSITY SONG
Lorenzo Johnson, Jr.
Hail to California
RECESSION
Hail to California
Hail to California, Alma Mater dear,
Sing the joyful chorus,
Sound it far and near,
Rallying ’round her banner,
We will never fail—
California, Alma Mater,
Hail! Hail! Hail!
This special day and ceremony celebrate a major achievement in your life.
The warm thoughts and good wishes of the faculty, the administration and your many friends at UC Santa Barbara go with you as you pursue graduate or professional schooling, or your chosen career field.
All of us are confident that your time here has instilled within you the knowledge, skills and confidence to enrich the world around you, and that your future will be as challenging and fulfilling as your years at UC Santa Barbara. We hope that your involvement with your campus is only just beginning, as you now join a network of over 274,900 UC Santa Barbara alumni.
The Honorable Marc B. Nathanson, MA ‘69
Ambassador Marc B. Nathanson, nominated by President Joe Biden, served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway from October 2021 through February 2024. Throughout his tenure, he established the Tromso American Presence Post (the northernmost U.S. diplomatic post in the world), signed two U.S./Norwegian supplemental military treaties, and initiated the Minnesota National Guard-Norwegian military partnership. He also welcomed the U.S.S. Gerald Ford (CVN-78), the first U.S. aircraft carrier to visit Norway in 65 years. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, he supported NATO unity and the accession of Finland and Sweden. A committed environmentalist and leading communications entrepreneur, he founded Falcon Cable TV---one of the largest multiple cable system operators in the country-- and served as Vice Chairman of Charter Communications, the nation’s largest cable operator, and as Chairman of Mapleton Investments, a privately held holding company. His public service included a Senate-confirmed role as Chairman of the United States Agency for Global Media and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Representative to the Board of Governors of the East-West Center in Honolulu. He was also the Co-Chairman of the Pacific Council on International Policy, Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), Trustee Emeritus of the Aspen Institute, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. His many awards include UC Santa Barbara's “Outstanding Alumni” (1977), INC. Magazine's "Entrepreneur of the Year" (1994), the Global Green Millennium Award (2009), the Environmental Media Association (EMA) Lifetime Achievement Award (2011), and Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity's "Man of the Year" (2019). Ambassador Nathanson earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver and his master’s degree in Political Science from UCSB, where he was a National Science Foundation Fellow.
#UCSB2026
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Questions About Commencement?
Visit our FAQ page to find answers to frequently asked questions or contact us by email at Commencement@ia.ucsb.edu.
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