Commencement

Spring 2026 Keynote Speaker

Sallie V. Sheppard, Ph.D., D.Sc. (Hon).

Sallie V. Sheppard, Ph.D., D.Sc. (Hon), is a remarkable individual committed to higher education and helping students learn. She has demonstrated excellence throughout her career and has embraced St. Mary’s University and its mission.

Sheppard’s name is prominent, along with her husband, Leland Blank, Ph.D. (B.S. ’67), on our newest building, the Blank Sheppard Innovation Center. While not an alumna of St. Mary’s, she feels the family spirit on campus and believes in the University’s faith-based mission that helps students develop academically and spiritually.

Sheppard was among the first women to graduate from Texas A&M University, earning her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Mathematics before completing her doctorate in Computer Science at the University of Pittsburgh.

While teaching at Texas A&M, she accepted the Executive Vice President and Provost position, making her the first woman to serve as a senior administrator at the institution in 1995. She received two distinguished achievement awards — one for teaching and the other for administration — from the Texas A&M Association of Former Students and the 2014 Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Although she is not the first female with her name on a St. Mary’s campus building, she is the first to have her name displayed in an academic facility where her story inspires academic excellence and student learning. Her lifelong passion for learning is evident in the couple’s generosity at Texas A&M and St. Mary’s universities. She said her decision to support St. Mary’s was easy because of how closely faculty, staff and students work with each other. Sheppard’s heart is with St. Mary’s, and she wears with pride, our colors of gold and blue.

Tickets

Due to limited seating in the Bill Greehey Arena, Commencement tickets are required for admission. Each graduating student approved for Spring Commencement will receive an email for the number of tickets they will receive.

To accommodate additional guests at Commencement ceremonies, overflow seating will be available in the University Center, Mengler Conference Room, where guests will view a live broadcast of the ceremony. No tickets are required to enter the University Center. Immediately following the ceremony, all guests will reunite with the graduates outside the Arena.

For guests unable to attend, please note that the commencement ceremony will be livestreamed on our website. Visit the livestream page to check technical requirements or to watch the ceremony.

Children aged 3 and under do not need tickets provided they can sit on an adult’s lap for the duration of the ceremony.

Each graduating student approved for Commencement will receive an email for the number of tickets they will receive.

Parking

Commencement guests can park in the following lots:

Lot T (in front of Bill Greehey Arena)
Lot G
Lot H

Program Information

To view the digital Commencement programs, click the button below.

Livestream

For guests unable to attend, please note that the commencement ceremony will be livestreamed on our website. Visit the livestream page to check technical requirements or to watch the ceremony.

Venue Regulations

• Noise Warning

  Be aware that following the Conferring of Degrees, we will celebrate this moment for our graduates by activating confetti launchers. These launchers will emit a loud popping sound, which may affect guests who experience noise sensitivity.

Bill Greehey Arena does not allow noisemakers, confetti, flags, balloons, posters, banners or other items that will cause view obstruction or distract from the program.

Additionally, to maintain a safe and secure environment, we have implemented a bag check policy. All bags are subject to search and inspection before entering the facility.

Guests failing to comply with the above policies will be asked to return their bags and/or items to their vehicle or be denied entry.

Accessibility Accommodations

Sections for guests in wheelchairs are available along the second level of Bill Greehey Arena. Individuals who plan to sit in this section are allowed one person to remain with them in the area.

Due to limited seats, seating in these sections is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Ceremony Seating Chart

All graduates will be seated on the arena floor during Commencement according to their school or college.

Guests are seated in the arena stands during Commencement.

Graduation Memorabilia

Looking for graduation memorabilia for your graduate? Check out the Barnes & Noble Bookstore at St. Mary’s webpage to find apparel, diploma frames and more!