Fall Commencement took place on Saturday, December 17, 2022, at Worthen Arena.

Honorary Doctorate

President Mearns bestowed attorney and founder of the Emens Scholars program, J. Richard Emens, with an honorary Doctor of Laws, formally recognizing his exemplary leadership and philanthropy to the university’s students.

Mr. Emens grew up on the Ball State campus, and graduated from Burris Laboratory School while his father, John R. Emens, was President of Ball State.

Guest Speaker

Special guest speaker Don Yaeger spoke during commencement. He is a 1984 Ball State alumnus who is a nationally acclaimed inspirational speaker, longtime former associate editor of Sports Illustrated, and author of over 30 books – 11 of which have become New York Times best-sellers. In 2008, Mr. Yaeger departed Sports Illustrated to pursue a career as a public speaker. Since then, his talks on “What Makes the Great Ones Great” have been heard by more than a quarter-million people.

Crossing the Stage

Those graduating with a doctoral degree participated in a hooding ceremony.

Those graduating with a master’s degree took their turn crossing the stage.

 

Those who earned a bachelor’s degree crossed the stage grouped within colleges.

Recognizing Support

President Mearns finished the ceremony by giving the new alumni a chance to applaud family and friends who helped support their journey.

Creative Caps

The creativity of some of the graduates is put on display on the top of their caps. Check a few of them that caught our eye.

Congratulations to all Fall 2022 graduates!