April 23, 2026

SVSU students spring toward next chapter

Ontario Premier Douglas Ford will address students

Nearly 800 Saginaw Valley State University students soon will receive their degrees, prepared to enter the workforce or graduate school. Many of those students will participate in commencement exercises on Saturday, May 2.

SVSU will conduct two commencement exercises, at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Both ceremonies will be held in the Ryder Center on the university’s campus. Both ceremonies will also be livestreamed here.

Graduates from the College of Arts and Behavioral Sciences, the Scott L. Carmona College of Business, and the College of Science, Engineering and Technology will be recognized in the 10 a.m. ceremony. Graduates from the College of Education and the Crystal M. Lange College of Health and Human Services will participate in the ceremony at 2:30 p.m.

Ontario Premier Douglas Ford will address graduates at both ceremonies. SVSU President George Grant Jr will confer upon Ford an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the morning ceremony.

Ford, the 26th premier of the province, was first elected to the position in 2018 and re-elected in 2025. In this role he oversees a broad provincial mandate encompassing health care, education, infrastructure, economic development and social services for a population of more than 16 million residents. He also represents Ontario within the Great Lakes‑St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers organization, working with U.S. governors and Canadian premiers to strengthen cross‑border cooperation on economic development, environmental stewardship and regional trade impacting Michigan and the broader Great Lakes region.

Prior to entering the political arena, Ford gained practical business experience in his family’s business, Deco Labels and Flexible Packaging, a printing company established by his father in 1962. Rising through the organization, Ford served as president from 2002 until he stepped away in 2018 to serve as Ontario premier.

Following the May 2 commencement, this semester’s graduates join more than 56,500 SVSU alumni in all 50 states and 62 countries. More than 47,500 SVSU graduates live in Michigan, building careers in high-demand fields.