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Dear Thorobred Family,

This week, I want to focus on the purpose that gives all our work meaning: our students.

Commencement week has arrived at ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÉç. On Saturday, May 9, we will gather in the William Exum Center to celebrate the Class of 2026 across two ceremonies, one at 10 a.m. and another at 2 p.m. Holding two ceremonies is more than a scheduling matter. It reflects the size and significance of this graduating class, one of the largest ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÉç has celebrated in recent history.

That is something worthy of our attention, our gratitude, and our pride.

Commencement is one of the most meaningful moments in the life of a university. It is the day when years of study, sacrifice, discipline, and perseverance become visible. It is the day when families see prayers answered, students see goals fulfilled, and faculty and staff see the impact of the work they carry out each day.

For the Class of 2026, this moment has been earned.

These graduates have completed their degrees through seasons of change, challenge, and opportunity. They have studied, served, led, worked, cared for families, supported one another, and continued to press toward the finish line. Some are first-generation college graduates. Some are continuing a proud family tradition at ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÉç. All of them now become part of the living legacy of this University.

That legacy matters.

Since 1886, ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÉç has prepared students not only to earn degrees but also to lead lives of purpose. As Kentucky’s only public HBCU and an 1890 land-grant institution, we carry a responsibility that is both historic and urgent. We educate students who will strengthen communities, advance professions, serve the Commonwealth, and help shape a better future.

Commencement reminds us that this mission is not abstract. It has names, faces, families, and stories.

To our graduates, we are proud of you. Your degree represents far more than the completion of academic requirements. It reflects persistence, growth, and the courage to keep going. Wherever your next chapter leads — graduate school, professional school, military service, entrepreneurship, public service, or the workforce — carry ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÉç with confidence, humility, and purpose. The Hill will always be part of your story.

To our families, thank you. No graduate reaches this milestone alone. Behind every diploma are people who encouraged, prayed, sacrificed, advised, supported, and believed. This celebration belongs to you as well.

To our faculty and staff, thank you for the steady work that makes this moment possible. The advising appointment, the late email, the careful lesson plan, the financial aid conversation, the facilities preparation, the registration support, the mentoring conversation, the residence hall check-in, the safety planning, the rehearsal, the program, and the countless details behind the scenes all matter. Commencement is a University-wide achievement because student success is University-wide work.

This week also gives us an opportunity to reflect on what makes the Thorobred spirit so enduring. ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÉç has never been defined by ease. It has been defined by purpose, resilience, excellence, and service. Our students inherit that spirit, and they carry it into the world.

As we gather Saturday, let us do so with joy. Let us celebrate loudly. Let us welcome families warmly. Let us honor our graduates fully. And let us remember that every name called across the stage represents a promise kept.

Class of 2026, this is your week. We celebrate your achievement, your perseverance, and your future.

Onward and Upward,

Koffi C. Akakpo, Ph.D.
President
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