Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater State University
Commencement 2026 . . .
THE COLLEGE OF
GRADUATE STUDIES
Thursday, May 14, 2026
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell is seen above receiving an Honorary Degree from Chairman of the Board of Trustees Michael Taylor and President Fred Clark at the Commencement Ceremony for the College of Graduate Studies held on Thursday evening, May 14th, at the XFinity Center in Mansfield.
Ms. Campbell also delivered the Commencement Address at the event (which is shown in full in the video).
Also included is the presentation of a Distinguished Service Award to Ms. Carolyn Casey, executive director of Project 351, which "has empowered a generation of young leaders from every city and town in Massachusetts to engage in a shared mission of community engagement and social change reflecting values of compassion, inclusion, and service."
Thanks to the superb work of BSU's video production team the full ceremonies were recorded and published on the BSU website for The College of Graduate Studies on Thursday evening and the two Undergraduate Commencements Friday morning and Friday late afternoon on May 15th.
We've excepted for this week's report highlights of the opening segments of the College of Graduate Studies Commencement.
In next week's report- May 25th - we'll publish highlights of the ceremonies for - Friday morning - the Lous M. Ricciardi College of Business, the College of Education and Health Sciences, and the Bartlett College of Science and Mathematics and - Friday afternoon - the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Below is the link to the video highlighting the Thursday evening Commencement Ceremony, which features in full the opening part of the program:
A Commencement News Release from BSU
Mr. Brian Benson, G '23, of BSU's Office of Enrollment, Marketing and Communications, has authored "You are Your Best Thing," which Mr. Benson captured in print the key details about the College of Graduate Studies Commencement, including the fact that 380 received diplomas.
You can read Mr. Benson's story here:
Capturing the "True Essence of BSU"
Ms. Sheryl Royster, Class of 2026, is seen above in a photo taken from a video which was shown at each of the three Commencement Exercises.
A great grandmother from Brockton, she earned her bachelor's degree at the age of 76 (!) with a major in Sociology and a minor in African-American Studies.
This is a "not-to-miss" video and although it's not very long, it's a masterpiece work.
You can see the video by clicking on the link below:
"Everybody Dance Now!"
Among BSU's all-time favorite moments - never before seen at any commencement in the university's 184-year history (and President Clark says "you may never see again") - occurred during the Friday morning Commencement Ceremony at XFinity Center in Mansfield . . .
And we couldn't wait until next week to share it with you when we cover the highlights of the two Undergraduate Ceremonies.
But what you'll see when you click on the link below is a moment that involved every person in attendance - all the graduates, the audience and the members of the Platform Party - and it will certainly be remembered by all who were there.
Here's the link:
And on a different subject . . . All the Way from
Sioux City, Iowa
Art Silva, '72, was recently featured in an edition of the publicationGenerations of Service in which he shared how, after graduation, he worked for a time at BSU and also as a public school teacher before becoming involved in the automotive business and settling in Sioux City Iowa, which has been his family's home now for decades.
But the main focus of his life has for years been helping to help the neediest children in the region through an organization called the Boys and Girls Club and Family Services, Inc.
Earlier this month Art was in the news . . . a new home has been created under his leadership in Sioux City, and Art sent along a clip of the opening recorded by Sioux City television station K-9.
"We have 42 bedrooms, that’s an increase of 12. And all those extra bedrooms are going to go for girls. That’s what the state has a need for. We have 11 classrooms there. We have a media room, which today’s term for 'library,'" said Art.
"The entire project cost roughly $14 million, and while the outside of the building is, for the most part, complete, there is still work being done on the inside," he said.
“The children here are going to come into brand new residences. We have common areas, which would be the kitchen, the gymnasium, etc. But each unit, we have three units, and each unit will have their own gymnasium, their own quiet time, their own kids units, and they develop their own identity,” he explained.
The host for the K-9 program said the following:
"On average, kids will stay with the Boys & Girls Home between six and nine months, depending on the child. To Art Silva and the staff, these kids are a part of their family, and everyone is excited to see how this new facility will impact the children."
During the interview Art said the children helped by the organization will be "the real winners" as a result of the move to the vastly improved quarters.
“We got by and did what was required. Now we can do what was required plus, plus, plus, plus, plus," he said.
"And our kids are going to be the real winners. Our kids and families are really going to enjoy it. I’m afraid I’m going to. The kids leave here. ‘Hey, Mom, we need this, Dad. We need this,’ or whatever. ‘Can we go back there for this?’
"So we love our kids," Art said. "The staff loves our kids. So we’re looking forward to our next chapter in Boys & Girls Home. It’s going to be a good one."
To see the news story about the new home for the Boys and Girls Club and Family Services, please click on the link below: