Over 900 graduates across all degree levels were celebrated at the University of Pittsburgh School of Business Class of 2026 Spring Commencement Ceremony at the Petersen Events Center on May 2, 2026. The student and faculty speakers shared words of encouragement and inspiration.
Henry E. Haller Jr. Dean Gene Anderson congratulated the graduates, telling them, “I hope your time at Pitt Business will always be a special part of you, as you will always be a special part of us.”
Leading up to commencement, awards ceremonies were held for graduate and undergraduate students, along with staff and faculty. Students at all levels were inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the national business honor society, prior to the commencement ceremony.
The graduates’ degrees included: Doctor of Philosophy; Doctorate in Business Administration; Master of Business Administration (including part-time, full-time, DICK’s Sporting Goods and executive); Master of Science (MS); MBA/MS joint degrees with the Schools of Public Health, Law, Social Work, and Public and International Affairs; and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degrees, including students who also earned a degree from the College of General Studies, Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences or School of Computing and Information.
All the graduates’ names are available in the commencement program. You can find the video replay of the entire ceremony on our website.
Undergraduate speaker George Collins knows that success is different for everyone and making it to commencement itself is a celebration worthy of pomp and circumstance. “Regardless of what success looks like for you, be proud of it. At the end of the day, we all sit here in the same arena, in the same cap and gown. But behind all of us is someone who did their best – even if it doesn’t always feel like it,” he said.
Graduate speaker Natalie Connell has seen all different sides of Pitt Business. Having completed her undergraduate degree in three years, she has now completed her master’s degree, both from Pitt Business. She spoke about the interesting people she was able to meet in her four years. “Whether you spent two years or four, whether you came here from across the state or across the ocean, you were shaped by the people around you, and you were part of shaping them too, even if you didn’t realize it,” she said.
Heidi Bartholomew, clinical associate professor of Business Administration, was selected to speak by undergraduate students. She spoke about how the classes she teaches often book end the undergraduate experience. She reminded graduates, “Your career success is more than just entering the right prompts in a large language model, it’s the whole package of what you bring to the table as a caring human being.”
Karen Shastri, clinical associate professor of Business Administration, was selected from three award winners to speak at the ceremony. Shastri, who earned her MBA and PhD from Pitt Business and was this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Alumna Award, emphasized all the challenges the graduates overcame to earn their degree, and how this can shape their future. “You leave here today with knowledge, skills, and opportunity. But more importantly, you leave with proof of what you’re capable of. Don’t underestimate that,” she said.
Dean Anderson’s closing remarks told the graduates, “Go forth with the character and values of this institution. Wear them proudly. Let them guide you. We wish you the best of everything — in every possible sense of that phrase. You are ready. You are Pitt Business.”