Commencements at the University of West Georgia are part ceremony and part reunion of the community that helped shape the graduating class – faculty who mentored, families who encouraged, classmates who became confidants and neighbors who opened doors.
As students crossed the stage this spring, they carried with them not only their achievements but also the collective strength of the people who walked beside them.
Dr. Michael Johnson, UWG president, noted that universities are often communities of members who build small, consistent acts of seeing one another and choosing to show up for each other. It’s within that web of everyday choices that real change begins.
“I know commencements often end with grand instructions to ‘go change the world,’” he said. “Honestly, the world changes when someone chooses integrity over convenience. When someone stays to help instead of walking away. When a teacher believes in a student before the student believes in themselves. When a leader tells the truth. When ordinary people decide to care about something beyond themselves. That’s how communities improve, institutions endure and history moves forward.”
Outgoing Student Government Association president Zachary Potter acknowledged that college – a balancing act of managing commitments, navigating choices and pushing through long nights – is rarely solo. Students learn from classmates, lean on friends and grow through the support of a community that believes in you. Those shared experiences prepare graduates not only academically but in the everyday skills that will shape their lives beyond UWG.
“The most important skill, and the one I hope sticks with us, is our sense of community,” he shared. “This town, this campus, your fellow degree-mates – you’ve learned what it means to be a part of something greater than yourself and what you can do for the future. Whether you go into business, public service, science, art or something you haven’t even discovered yet, remember this: you don’t have to do it all. Do the part that’s yours and do it with heart.”
As part of this collective spirit, more than 1,600 graduates celebrated individual and communal successes across five ceremonies, which began on Friday, May 15, with students in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences; University College; Richards College of Business; School of Communication, Film and Media; Dr. James ‘Earl’ Perry College of Mathematics, Computing and Sciences; and Tanner Health School of Nursing. It also featured the inaugural Presidential Medallion, given posthumously to Bob Stone, a lifelong supporter of the university.
College of Education degrees were earned on Saturday, May 16, which included all professionals participating in the Georgia’s BEST program, a groundbreaking partnership initially formed with the Cobb County School District that expanded last year to include Douglas, Coweta and Gwinnett Counties.
This semester wrapped up an academic year full of milestones and points of pride, including:
- The university saw its highest enrollment ever in Fall 2025;
- The university launched UWG Next, the process that will result in the institution’s next strategic plan;
- A record $2,196,878 was raised to support student success and institutional growth during A Day to Give West;
- The university contributed more than $654 million – a new record – to the local, regional and state economy;
- U.S. News & World Report continued to rank UWG among Georgia’s top online education providers and named the university No. 1 in the state for social mobility;
- Tanner Health System School of Nursing faculty secured the largest grant in UWG history;
- Johnson was named the ninth president of UWG in August.
As he prepared to confer the grads’ degrees, Johnson reminded them that as alumni, they were now Forever West.
“Celebrate this achievement – the long nights, the sacrifices and the people who carried you here,” he concluded. “But tomorrow morning, when the ceremony is over, remember this: the world doesn’t need you to be perfect. It simply needs you to show up, to care, to build, to serve, to lead and have the courage to begin, even before you feel completely ready. Class of 2026, we are proud of you.”
