05/21/2026
๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐
๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ
๐๐
๐พ๐ ๐พ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ง๐จ 1,551 ๐ฟ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐พ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ค๐ฃ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐
๐๐ง๐จ๐๐ฎ ๐พ๐๐ฉ๐ฎ
New Jersey City University (NJCU) awarded 1,551 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees during its historic final 2026 Commencement exercises on Tuesday, May 19, when the university honored the Class of 2026 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. It was the university's final standalone commencement ceremony before its merger with Kean University closes on July 1 to form Kean Jersey City.
The ceremony featured Jorge A. Plasencia, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Republica Havas and Global Chief Client Officer of the Havas Creative Network, who received an honorary degree from the university, and delivered the commencement address to the Class of 2026.
NJCU also presented its Presidential Medallion to Suraj Kaufman, while Gabriella Martinez, '26, of Jersey City, N.J. delivered the student address during the ceremony.
President Acebo delivered a powerful charge to graduates: "For nearly one hundred years, this campus has been holy ground for strivers. Not privileged people. Determined people."
In a moment that gave the day its full weight, the final undergraduate to cross the stage was Sonya C. Brown, a non-traditional student and long-time member of NJCU's Admissions Department staff since 2010.
๐ Read the full Commencement news story at:
https://www.njcu.edu/about/news/2026/05/new-jersey-city-university-honors-class-2026-historic-final-commencement-may-19
๐ธ Photos from Commencement are available at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/swWTNF83uQu77oWp9 (additional photos will be added in the coming days)
