Commencement Program
Commencement Schedule
- Welcome
- Processional
- The National Anthem: Anjali Kumar, MD, MPH, Vice Chair, Surgery
- Land Ackowledgement: Jerry Crowshoe, MA, Native American Health Sciences Program Director
- Dean’s Address: James Record, MD, JD, FACP, Dean
- Student Speakers:
- Janelle Wilson, Speech and Hearing Sciences
- Dusten Butikofer, Nutrition and Exercise Physiology
- Zachary Gottschalk, Medicine
- Blanketing Ceremony: Jerry Crowshoe, MA, Native American Health Sciences Program Director
- Honoring of Military Graduates, Janet Walker, MD, Assistant Professor
- Awarding of Degrees:
- Speech and Hearing Sciences
- Nutrition and Exercise Physiology
- Master of Healthcare Administration and Leadership
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Doctor of Medicine
- Physician’s Pledge Recitation: Michael Lavin, MD, MBA, Vice Chair, Psychiatry
- Conferral of Degrees: James Record, MD, JD, FACP, Dean
- Closing Remarks: James Record, MD, JD, FACP, Dean
- Recessional
2026 Graduates
Thank you for supporting your students on their journeys! Washington State University is honored that you have joined us in honoring the graduating class of 2026. We are proud of the newest additions to our Cougar alumni family and are honored that you have chosen to celebrate their achievements with us.
Messages from WSU Leadership
Message from WSU President Betsy Cantwell
Congratulations, Class of 2026.
Dear WSU graduates,
Today marks both an accomplishment and a beginning.
To the Class of 2026: congratulations. You have completed your degree at a time when higher education, the workforce, and our communities are changing rapidly—and you did so while managing real responsibilities in your lives. Many of you balanced coursework with careers, families, military service, and community commitments. That persistence matters. It says something important about who you are and what you can
do next.
You are graduating at a moment of profound transformation. The nature of work is changing. Technology is reshaping industries. Communities are redefining how learning happens across a lifetime. And through all that change, you made the decision to keep going—to finish what you started.
Many of you earned this degree while working full time, raising families, caring for others, serving in your communities, or rebuilding careers. You studied late at night, early in the morning, and in the margins of already full lives. Progress may not always have come easily or quickly—but you stayed with it.
Your degree signals more than mastery of a field. It shows that you are adaptable—the single most important capability in a world defined by continuous change. The careers you hold today may evolve. Entire industries will transform. New opportunities will emerge that do not yet exist.
What will endure is your ability to learn, to lead, and to contribute.
The future will belong to people willing to step forward, solve hard problems, and help their communities navigate uncertainty with clarity and purpose. That is now your role—not only as graduates, but as Cougs.
As you move into this next chapter, know that you carry with you a Cougar community that is proud of you and invested in your success. Cougar Nation stretches across professions, cities, and generations—and today you join it as graduates and peers.
The future is being built by people willing to take initiative. You are ready for that work.
Congratulations, Class of 2026. We are proud of you.
Betsy Cantwell, PhD
President, Washington State University
Message from Provost and Executive Vice President T. Chris Riley-Tillman
Go Cougs!
Dear WSU Class of 2026,
Congratulations to all of you on this joyous and momentous occasion in your life. Through hard work and perseverance, you have not just reached the end of this journey but the beginning of a new one.
The past years have presented a multitude of challenges as you have worked to meet the high standards and rigorous requirements not only of this university, but of those you will one day serve through the vital work of health care. You have persisted, you have excelled, and you have completed your degree. You should feel proud.
We are celebrating other achievements today as well. You have enriched our WSU community with your academic rigor, inquiring minds, and personal stories. You have embodied our mission and will go on to serve the needs of Washingtonians by sharing your expertise. Whether you choose to do so in clinical practice, education, or research, your contributions will make a lasting difference.
WSU has prepared you for the future. As you step into it, remember that the Cougar community is with you. You will continue to find value and strength from the memories, mentors, and friendships that defined your time here. I invite you all, our soon-to-be graduates, to stay connected with our university and your fellow alumni as you continue your journey and lead with purpose and passion. I wish you great success and happiness in the years ahead.
Go Cougs!
T. Chris Riley-Tillman, PhD
Provost and Executive Vice President, Washington State University
Message from Dean James M Record
Congratulations—the future is yours!
Dear Class of 2026,
Today, we celebrate your transition from students to physicians—and all the extraordinary moments and milestones that brought you to this moment. We also recognize the importance of your families and communities that supported your journey.
Your education these past years has prepared you for a career defined by excellence, innovation, and a commitment to serve. You have dedicated hours to the pursuit of knowledge, discovered a passion for healing, and served vibrant communities across Washington. At WSU, you have worked hard, and you
have triumphed.
Now, it’s time to carry this work forward, into a world and health system that needs your voice, your values, and your vision. This is the essence of your calling as future health care leaders. Not just to treat, but to care. Not just to heal, but to inspire. Not just to practice medicine, but to foster humanity.
Congratulations—the future is yours!
Lead well and Go Cougs!
James M Record, MD, JD, FACP
Dean, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine