Celebrate the Class of 2021
2021 Tributes
Learn about our mission coin tribute and award winners as they are announced.
2021 Ceremonies
Find your program’s ceremony and watch a livestream of the event.
Commencement Program
Check out our 2021 Commencement Program.
Breaking Tradition, Not the Celebration
Spalding University Commencement tradition began when Henry Clay presented a diploma to the first graduate of Nazareth Academy, founded and operated by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. For years, the first Saturday of June has marked the day of celebration for our graduates. Even though the pandemic has forced us to break tradition, we will resume smaller in-person Commencement ceremonies this year..
Celebrating our Graduates June 3-5
The accomplishments, perseverance and determination of this year’s graduates are worth celebrating. For our 2021 Celebration, we will host a series of smaller, in-person ceremonies by academic discipline on Thursday, June 3; Friday, June 4; and Saturday, June 5. See individual ceremony event pages and more details about regalia, guest tickets and masks on our Commencement information page.
Follow Us
Follow us on social media. Use the hashtag #SpaldingGrad so we can share your post with our followers.
Tune In
Get in the spirit.
Listen to our Class of 2021 #SpaldingGrad playlist.
Shining Bright
The Big Four Bridge will be lit up blue and gold June 3-5. Take a photo and tag us on social media.
Mission Coin Tribute
Spalding’s Director of Student Leadership and Service Learning, Anna Foshee, discusses the tradition of the Spalding mission coin and asks graduates to give a shout out to those who have inspired and supported them throughout their college career.
Service Learning Awards
This Mother Catherine Spalding Service Learning Award is given to a graduating senior who embodies the spiritual values of faith, hope, and charity, exemplified by our founder, Mother Catherine Spalding. The recipient will have distinguished themself through outstanding service to the community, personal leadership, and witness to the dignity of human life as a person committed to meeting the needs of others in the spirit of Christ’s invocation to love one another as you love yourself.
2021 Recipient | Jaz’Myne Ware BS in Social Work
Read more about Jaz’Myne in “Commencement 2021 | A Rundown of Spalding’s University Award Recipients.”
2020 Recipient | Sally Rother BFA in Creative Writing
See more on Sally and our other 2020 Award Winners.
Senior Awards
The Mother Rose Meagher Senior Award is presented annually to a graduating senior with an outstanding scholastic record who also displays exceptional qualities of maturity, judgment, and leadership in academic and co-curricular affairs. The award recipient is an individual who works diligently to achieve harmonious human relations and exhibits outstanding promise of becoming a worthy member of their chosen profession and a leader in the community.
2021 Recipient | Kristen Garren BS in Social Work
Read more about Kristen in “Commencement 2021 | A Rundown of Spalding’s University Award Recipients.”
2020 Recipient | Kasim Alsalman BS in Health Science
See more on Kasim and our other 2020 Award Winners.
Caritas Medal
The highest award bestowed by Spalding University, the Caritas Medal has recognized the alumna or alumnus of the year since 1961. “Caritas,” meaning “charity” in Latin is a central element of the motto of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth: “Caritas Christi Urget Nos,” or “The Charity of Christ Urges Us.” As such, the Caritas medalist is recognized for his or her contributions in a particular field and for exemplifying a spirit of service consistent with the mission and tradition of Spalding.
In 2020, we posthumously honored a graduate of our College of Education. In 2021, at a time when the nation and world continue to celebrate the contributions of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic, we honor two distinguished graduates of the Spalding University School of Nursing.
2021 Medalist | Vicki Hines-Martin BSN ’75, M.A.Ed. ’83
2021 Medalist | Mary Romelfanger BSN, ’76
Read more about Vicki and Mary in “Commencement 2021 | A Rundown of Spalding’s University Award Recipients.”
2020 Medalist | Perry Sangalli, Ed.D. ’98
See more on Dr. Sangalli and our other 2020 Award Winners.
Faculty Awards
The criteria for this prestigious award include the completion of at least four years of full-time faculty service with an emphasis on activities that embody the mission of Spalding University. In the spirit of the Spalding mission, the recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award will have made a significant impact on students in areas such as teaching, advising, facilitating student research, promoting peace, justice and cultural understanding, providing support services, encouraging extracurricular activities, or in any other aspect of student life, both in and out of the classroom.
2021 Recipient | Donna Elkins, PhD Professor, School of Communications
Read more about Dr. Elkins in “Commencement 2021 | A Rundown of Spalding’s University Award Recipients.”
2020 Recipient | Brenda Nash, PhD Chair & Professor, School of Professional Psychology
See more on Dr. Nash and our other 2020 Award Winners.
Follow Along
You can follow our Countdown to the 2021 Celebration Facebook event. Here are some of the things you can expect to see happening on social and online:
We’ll be announcing our 2021 Award Winners.
Spalding grads can use our social media accessories (PDF) to customize your graduation photos.
- To use our Facebook frame, just click on your Facebook profile image and hit “add frame” then search for Spalding University Graduate.
- To add school spirit to your Instagram stories with our animated stickers and GIFs, search Spalding University.
- To use our Snapchat geofilter, create a Snap and swipe left through the filters. Our event filter will be available on campus June 3, 4 and 5, so make sure to enable location services.
- Don’t forget to tag our Spalding University social media accounts, and use the hashtag #SpaldingGrad so we can share your post with our followers
We’ll light up the Big Four Bridge blue and gold.
We’ll share a recap video of Commencement.