Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship

Central Michigan University celebrated its Spring 2025 graduates with two commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 9, and three ceremonies on Saturday, May 10. In all, 2,498 students graduated, with 1,371 students receiving their bachelor’s degree, 835 students receiving a master’s or specialist degree, and 189 earning a doctoral degree. 97 of the doctoral degrees were granted to graduates of the CMU College of Medicine.

At each ceremony, a member of the graduating class addressed their fellow graduates, reflecting on their shared journey and imparting well-wishes. In addition, President Neil MacKinnon welcomed several prominent alumni to speak at each of the five ceremonies. Each distinguished speaker received an honorary doctoral degree to recognize their commitment to CMU and its students.

Members of the CMU Board of Trustees also participated in commencement ceremonies, with remarks from Chair Todd Regis, Vice Chairs Denise Williams Mallett and Regine Beauboeuf, and Trustees Sharon Heath and Dr. Ashok Kondur.

Each commencement also included a smudging ceremony, led by Joseph Sowmick from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, which is the traditional Indigenous practice of blessing a space by burning sage and other herbs.

College of Medicine ceremony

The first commencement on Friday, for graduates of the College of Medicine, welcomed alumnus Dr. Nicholas Cozzi. He shared stories from his career in emergency medicine and urged graduates to invest in their patients and community.

“Start your journey with a strong foundation, stay close to those who love you and never lose sight of your purpose,” Dr. Cozzi said. “This is the key to fulfillment.”

Graduating medical student speaker Max King also offered remarks, reflecting on the importance of finding the “why” behind the decision to pursue a path in medicine.

“We will face many trials and tribulations,” King said. “During these hard times I encourage you to remember why you are here and why you were meant to do this.”

Friday, 3 p.m. ceremony

The second commencement ceremony on Friday celebrated students earning doctoral degrees, graduate certificates, and master’s and specialist degrees.

President MacKinnon welcomed dedicated alumni couple Tim and Sherry Magnusson to the stage, and Tim offered remarks on behalf of the pair.

“An advanced degree makes you go deeper,” Magnusson said. “I challenge you to continue to use what you have learned and hone it for the rest of your career.”

In her remarks to fellow graduates, Shana Kingma spoke about finding a home at CMU, both in the 1990’s as an undergraduate student, and today as she earned a master’s degree.

Kingma challenged graduates to let commencement be a launch.

“Keep learning, keep questioning, keep showing up for others and for yourself,” she said. “Believe in yourself, use your voice to lift someone else, make the table longer and make space for stories that haven’t been told yet.”

Saturday, 9 a.m. ceremony

Saturday’s first undergraduate ceremony celebrated graduates of the College of Business Administration and College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. Alumni speaker Melanie Kalmar,  recently retired vice president, Chief Information Officer and Chief Digital Officer at  Dow , offered   career and life advice  to graduates.

“Don’t take the easy path, take the one with purpose,” Kalmar told graduates. “Remember that the world doesn’t need more perfection; it needs more courage, more empathy, more you.”

Graduating student speaker Kaitlin Otteman spoke about growing up in the CMU community and shared the inspiration she gained from her mother.

“My mom would say ‘you are smarter than you think and stronger than you know,’” Otteman said. “As you embark on your next journey, whenever you are doubting your abilities, remind yourself that you are smarter than you think, and you are stronger than you know.”

Saturday, 1:30 p.m. ceremony

The second Saturday ceremony celebrated graduates of the College of College of Education and Human Services and the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions.

President MacKinnon welcomed former U.S. Representative Brenda Lawrence to the stage as the alumni guest speaker. She asked the graduates to commit to making the world a better place, and to not be discouraged by failure.

“Those that do not make it well through this life see challenges and hardships as a ‘no.’ I want to ask you to look at them as giving you permission to continue. It’s a ‘yes,’” Lawrence said.

Graduating student speaker Amyah Seybert offered some advice from the fourth graders she met through her student teaching experience and spoke about the opportunities she had at CMU.

“At CMU, I found a community of future teachers and learned how to become someone that makes a difference in kids’ lives,” Seybert said. “While I am sad that these amazing years at CMU are at an end, I am excited for us all to find our passions and truly make a difference in our communities.”

Saturday, 5:30 p.m. ceremony

The final commencement ceremony on Saturday celebrated graduates of the College of the Arts and Media and College of Science and Engineering.

Alumnus Matt Franklin, who spent 20 years as a television journalist, told graduates that CMU gave him the confidence to chase his dreams. He advised graduates to find their people and to learn from failure.

“Take a chance even when you’re scared,” he said. “If you’re nervous about something, that probably means it’s worth doing.”

Graduating student speaker Elijah Lewis said CMU was the place he figured out how to navigate life while picturing graduation day with his friends and mentors.

“We are no longer looking ahead in fear, but looking back with pride,” Lewis said. “Being here today does not mean the story is finished, but that it has just begun.”

Ceremony video and photos

All Spring 2025 ceremonies were recorded, and can be viewed here.

Enjoy select photos from CMU’s Spring 2025 commencement ceremonies on the CMU Facebook and CMU Instagram accounts.