Commencement season is in full swing. Business schools are beginning to host ceremonies to mark the hard work, dedication, and achievements of their graduates; to give you a glimpse into the celebrations, we’ve collected the highlights of those that took place in May.
Berkeley Haas
Berkeley Haas hosted its MBA commencement ceremony on Friday May 23rd.
The ceremony’s keynote address was given by Haas alumni (’95) Manish Chandra. Chandra is the founder and CEO of Poshmark—a company born of Chandra’s 20 years of experience building and scaling enterprises, and one that combines the human connection of physical shopping with the many benefits of ecommerce.
Alongside Manish Chandra spoke Paul Logan, student commencement speaker for the Haas MBA Class 2025. Posting on LinkedIn, Logan announced the pride he took in “telling one last story: ours,” and praised Haas’s “unrelenting drive to build a better world.”
Carnegie Mellon Tepper
Carnegie Mellon Tepper hosted commencement ceremonies for its MBA class of 2025 between May 8th and May 11th, describing the gatherings as a “time-honored tradition and a meaningful milestone” that allowed graduates and their families to celebrate years of dedication and success.
Tepper’s weekend of ceremonies featured a range of different speakers; at the MBA Ceremony on Saturday May 10th, William Meaney (MSIA ‘86) addressed the graduating class. Meaney’s career spans executive roles across Swiss International Airlines and South African Airways, board positions on State Street Corporation and Massachusetts General Hospital, and a current role as President and CEO of Iron Mountain.
Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School’s MBA commencement ceremony took place in the afternoon of Saturday, May 17th. Jamie Kern Lima, CBS graduate of 2004 and CEO of IT cosmetics, addressed the graduating class.
Cornell Johnson
Cornell University’s Johnson School of Business celebrated its graduating MBA class of 2025 on May 24th, as part of Cornell’s larger commencement weekend. As many as 835 students graduated from MBA programs at the Johnson School.
One such graduate, Otto Fritz, praised the “sense of belonging” that Cornell Johnson had instilled, proclaiming that he would aim to create it “in my workplace, whether working on a brainstorming session, organizing peer‑mentoring meetups, or simply checking in with colleagues. I’ve seen firsthand how a supportive network fosters innovation and resilience.”
Duke Fuqua
On May 10th, Duke Fuqua held the commencement ceremony for its MBA class of 2025.
The graduating class were addressed by Guest Speaker General Martin Dempsey—a speaker summarized by former Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead as knowing more “about the risks of the global world” than most people alive, and as being one of the most “thoughtful about their implications.” Dempsey is a Duke graduate, and was named one of the world’s 100 most influential leaders by TIME in 2015.
Emory Goizueta
Emory Goizueta celebrated its graduating MBA class of 2025 on May 12th, with a ceremony featuring student and guest speakers. The key speaker was Adrian H. Tonge, EVP, Data & Analytics North America for Chubb, whose leadership experience in the world of AI engineers, data scientists, and analytics professionals allowed him to share valuable insights with the graduating class.
Georgetown McDonough
Georgetown McDonough’s commencement ceremony took place on May 16th, featuring guest speaker Ajaypal Banga, the President of the World Bank Group. An additional speech was given by Michael Psaros (B’89) from KPS Capital Partners.
Georgia Institute of Technology Scheller
On Saturday May 3rd, Georgia Institute of Technology Scheller hosted the commencement ceremony for its MBA class of 2025.
Andrea Laliberte, IE 1982, M.S. IE 1984, retired logistics executive in complex international retail contexts, addressed the graduates. Alongside her executive career, she has acted as Professor of the Practice in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Laliberte is on the Georgia Tech Foundation’s board of trustees and the Georgia Tech College of Engineering external advisory board. For her visionary leadership and commitment to the school, Laliberte has recently been awarded an honorary degree from Georgia Tech Scheller.
Indiana Kelley
Indiana Kelley celebrated its MBA class of 2025 on Friday May 9th, in a ceremony dedicated to recognizing the accomplishments of the cohort. Gerardo Ubaghs, CFO of Frontier Medicines, spoke at the ceremony.
Michigan Ross
Michigan Ross’s MBA class of 2025 commencement ceremony took place on May 2nd. André Branch, a C-Suite executive boasting over two decades of leadership experience in the CPG and luxury sectors, is an MBA alumnus from Michigan Ross. Most recently, Branch has occupied the position of General Manager of M.A.C. Cosmetics in North America, where his work with AI and enhanced supply chains allowed him to spearhead “the brand’s transformation and resurgence of growth.”
NYU Stern
NYU Stern held its ceremony for the MBA class of 2025 on May 16th. The graduating class was addressed by Dietrich Becker, Partner and the President of the London-based Perella Weinberg Partners, based in London. Becker’s long and impressive career spans positions such as Co-Head of Morgan Stanley’s Global Industrial Group and investment banking roles with Merrill Lynch in 1991. Becker is an alumnus of NYU Stern, and serves as Chair of the Executive Board.
Pennsylvania Wharton
Pennsylvania Wharton held its MBA commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 18th.
The keynote speaker at the event was Nicolai Tangen. Tangen is a Wharton graduate of 1992, and has been the CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management since 2020. Tangen’s career has spanned other CEO positions, analyst roles, and the establishment of the AKO Foundation, which supports and bolsters efforts in education, the arts, and climate change mitigation. You may recognize his name from Tangen Hall, the first on-campus space dedicated to student entrepreneurship and innovation activities.
SMU COX
SMU Cox celebrated its graduating MBA class of 2025 on Friday May 16th in Moody Coliseum. In the lead up to the ceremony, SMU Cox shared its anticipation on LinkedIn. The school reflected on the “experiences that have shaped our students’ time at SMU Cox School of Business” and thanked students for their “talent, drive and heart.”
Texas McCombs
On Saturday May 10th, Texas McCombs welcomed guest speaker Theodore T. Wang, MBA ’96, to speak at the commencement ceremony for the MBA Class of 2025. Wang, the founder of Puissance Capital Management, gave a speech informed by his impressive career history of leadership in trading, stock, equity and finance.
Since 2015, he has co-founded six companies which range in focus from financial services to biotech. Alongside his MBA, he holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Minnesota, and a BS from Fudan University in Shanghai.
UNC Kenan-Flagler
UNC Kenan-Flagler hosted a commencement ceremony for its MBA class of 2025 on Friday May 9th. In a post titled “Here’s to you, Class of 2025,” the school shared photos of celebratory students and their families on LinkedIn. The post thanked guest speaker Minni Marwaha (MBA ’08), UNC Kenan-Flagler alumnus and founder of Deebo.
UVA Darden
The University of Virginia Darden celebrated its MBA class of 2025 with a ceremony on Saturday May 17th. The midmorning ceremony was followed by a Darden tradition—the All Darden Sherwood Frey Picnic. The “celebratory graduation picnic” invited graduates and their guests to celebrate together.
Vanderbilt Owen
Vanderbilt Owen’s commencement ceremony for its MBA class of 2025 took place on May 9th. Over 200 students were awarded their MBA, and an introductory speech from Thomas J. Steenburgh (Ralph Owen Dean and Professor of Marketing) spotlighted and commended the support system surrounding the graduates. As well as thanking faculty, staff, family and friends, and encouraging graduates to do the same, Steenburgh reminded graduates of the importance of incremental knowledge building and of community.
The keynote speaker at the ceremony was Jeremy Padawer (MBA’01). Chief Brand Officer of Jazwares and former Wicked Cool Toys Co-CEO, Padawer encouraged graduates to maximize their educational gains. Not only should graduates “chase the end,” he said, they should “celebrate the middle.” He shared a story of personal change, discussing a shift from a finance-fueled mindset to one fueled by passion. He summarized his speech with six guiding principles, each intended to help create a fulfilling life and career:
- Celebrate the middle;
- Prioritize passion over money;
- Focus on what fascinates you;
- Be your authentic self;
- Harness ambition;
- Choose your partners wisely.
Yale School of Management (SOM)
Yale SOM celebrated its Class of 2025 with a ceremony on May 19, 2025. The ceremony—which was Yale SOM’s 48th—began in Evans Hall and processed to Yale’s historic Old Campus. Here, Yale President Maurie McInnis presented students with their degrees.
The ceremony commended students on their hard work, their achievement, and the diversity of thought, background, experience and skill which they had brought to the program. Yale SOM Dean Kerwin K. Charles noted a shared value amongst the class: an aspiration “not only to do well, but to transform your society for the good. To leave the world richer and more efficient, but also more just, more decent, and better than you found it.”
The graduating class selected four of their peers to speak before the awarding of their diplomas.
Commencement coverage will be back later this month for more ceremonies. To all those who have already graduated from MBAs, or are poised to do so soon—congratulations!
