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High Point University (HPU) held two Commencement ceremonies on Saturday to celebrate the Class of 2026 and honor more than 1,000 undergraduate students who crossed the stage at Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena and Conference Center.
HPU President Nido Qubein welcomed graduates and their families to the first ceremony, which began at 9 a.m., followed by a second ceremony at 2:30 p.m. The university said the need for two ceremonies reflects its growth over the past two decades.
HPU will confer more than 1,700 undergraduate and graduate degrees across all ceremonies during the 2025-2026 academic year, the university said. It described the total as the most degrees HPU has conferred in a single academic year in its 102-year history.
Qubein told graduates that they had traveled a journey since Convocation Day and that they are now “the future ambassadors of this university.”
Qubein introduced this year’s Commencement speaker, Kathryn McLay, whose last official day as president and CEO of Walmart International and Sam’s Club was May 1. McLay was named CEO of Walmart International in 2023 and led a team that includes more than 500,000 associates serving 80 million customers in 18 countries each week. The university said she announced her decision to step down earlier this year.
Before her remarks, Qubein presented McLay with an Honorary Doctorate of Business Leadership.
McLay shared five reflections from her career, including: “It’s not about you”; “It’s the little decisions that build character”; and “Success is underrated. Failure is a way to learn.” She also said, “Laugh boldly and from your belly,” and urged graduates to “be an ordinary person who gets to do extraordinary things.”
McLay also addressed the transition from one chapter to the next, saying that “you can’t have new beginnings without endings,” and that graduation is “an ending, too — a big one.”
Casey Williams, HPU’s senior class president, spoke to classmates including his twin brother Cortney. He said the road ahead would not always be clear and that moments of difficulty should not be viewed as a sign of choosing wrong, but as evidence that students chose something that matters.
Williams said, “We didn’t get here alone,” and described support from family members, mentors, and generations that built a foundation. He concluded with a charge to graduates to live in a way that the next generation will recognize as understanding “the assignment.”
Kal Burgess-Hicks, who graduated at age 15 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and aspires to be a neurosurgeon, was described by HPU as the youngest student to graduate from the university.
HPU said approximately 300 graduate students crossed the stage on April 30 during the Graduate Commencement ceremony, which included doctoral and master’s degrees in education, medical sciences and pharmacy.
The university noted that separate ceremonies are held throughout the year for other programs, including physical therapy and physician assistant studies, as well as a December Commencement.
HPU said the ceremonies mark a milestone for a “banner year.” After celebrating its Centennial Anniversary during the 2024-2025 academic year, HPU welcomed its largest total enrollment of 6,550 students this past fall.
The university also reported opening new buildings for the Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law and the Workman School of Dental Medicine, and breaking ground on the new $100 million John and Lorraine Charman Library. HPU said the library will serve as its flagship library when it opens in 2027.
In keeping with tradition, a bald eagle named Clark flew over graduates at the end of the ceremony to symbolize free enterprise, independence, and the ability to pursue new opportunities in America. HPU said Lee Greenwood, an international country music icon and the university’s Artist in Residence, performed “God Bless the USA.”
HPU also said each graduate received an HPU blanket after the ceremony to give to someone special who supported their higher education.
Members of HPU’s Class of 1976 attended to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their graduation from what was then known as High Point College.
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