The Friday, May 8, ceremony at 7 p.m. will award 52 doctoral and 261 master¡¯s degrees. On Saturday, May 9, 650 bachelor¡¯s degrees will be presented in two ceremonies ¨C 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.?

The 10 a.m. ceremony includes bachelor¡¯s degree candidates from?

• College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• College of Biblical Studies
• College of Health and Human Services
• College of Learning and Development
• Onstead College of Science and Engineering?

The 2 p.m. ceremony includes bachelor¡¯s degree candidates from

• College of Business Administration
• College of Health and Behavioral Sciences
• College of Leadership and Professional Studies?

Dr. Wes Crawford (’02 M.Div.), vice provost, will give the charge to the graduate class at the Friday ceremony. Kevin Washington (’11 M.A.), associate athletics director and athletics chaplain at Baylor University, will give the charge to the undergraduate class at both ceremonies on Saturday. Washington played football at Notre Dame and ACU, earning bachelor¡¯s degrees in sociology and film and television and master¡¯s degrees in communication and biblical counseling.

All three ceremonies will be livestreamed; visit acu.edu/commencement for more information.??

Honorary Doctorate

At the Saturday morning ceremony, ACU will award an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters to Barbara (Bell ’50) Packer. Alongside her late husband and former ACU board chair, H. Lynn Packer (’50), she played an integral role in advancing the mission of ACU through investment and support of initiatives that shaped the university¡¯s spiritual and academic identity. The Packer family¡¯s impact is reflected in the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building, the Robert S. and Katherine Bell Chapel on the Hill, two endowed chairs in the College of Biblical Studies and the Packer Scholars program.

Outlive Your Life Award

In both Saturday ceremonies, Dr. Perry Reeves (’65) will be awarded the Dale and Rita Brown Outlive Your Life Award. A longtime member of ACU¡¯s chemistry faculty, Reeves¡¯ love of teaching and research made him an inspiration and mentor to generations of future scientists, science teachers and medical professionals. The Outlive Your Life Award is named for its first recipients, Dale and Rita Brown, and for the book by ACU alumnus Max Lucado, Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference. The award recognizes all types of servant leadership exhibited by friends or alumni of the university.

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These moments define the first-year experience at ACU, where relationship-building is as essential as class attendance.?

This intentional community-building begins on move-in day, when students are immediately welcomed into the ACU family. Faculty, staff and upperclassmen unload cars and carry belongings up stairs, creating an atmosphere of celebration rather than drudgery.?

After a goodbye blessing with families, Wildcat Week officially begins. Students are immediately welcomed into one of ACU¡¯s most meaningful traditions, the Candlelight Devo, which will bookend their university journey.?

¡°Wildcat week serves as the foundation of the student experience,¡± says PJ Martinez, dean of student engagement. ¡°It equips first-year students through them learning the ACU traditions, experiencing Abilene, a place they¡¯ll call home for the next 4-5 years, and meeting people who are on a journey similar to theirs.¡±?

Throughout the week, students participate in concerts, service projects, communal worship and creative activities. Martinez points to ACU Fest as a highlight, where students connect with local churches, non-profits and businesses, as well as more than 75 student organizations.

¡°A sense of joy¡± permeates the event, Martinez says, as incoming students meet alumni and begin to understand the strength of the ACU community.?

All of these activities are intentional, ¡°designed to create a sense of belonging from the very beginning of a student¡¯s college experience,¡± says Lillie Goode, Student Director of Wildcat Week for 2026.?

¡°By the end of the week, it is our hope that ACU starts to feel like home because of the relationships, traditions, and shared experiences new students develop during those first few days on campus.¡±

That community doesn¡¯t end when classes begin. Students stay with their Wildcat Week groups throughout the first semester in Cornerstone, a foundational course that shapes the rest of their ACU experience. Led by faculty from across disciplines, the class invites students to explore the purpose of a liberal arts education.

Additionally, Cornerstone faculty involve students in community-building activities, such as service projects, shared meals and class outings to ACU events. Each class has a dedicated peer mentor, an upperclassman who guides students through their first semester.?

For Merit Gamertsfelder, a business management major and Cornerstone peer leader, the transition from Wildcat Week to Cornerstone is critical in building community: ¡°Cornerstone helps freshmen get connected with others right off the bat. Wildcat Week plays a big part of this too, establishing friendships first and then growing into them in the classroom.¡±

Seeing the same small group several times a week in the classroom and beyond helps students build confidence, Gamertsfelder says. ¡°At first everyone is shy and timid, but by the end they have all become comfortable and have let their inner selves shine.¡±

Together, Wildcat Week and Cornerstone propel students through their first year with a foundation of belonging. As Martinez puts it, ¡°Once Wildcat Week is done, the growth and the enjoyment doesn¡¯t end ¨C it¡¯s only beginning!¡±

¨C Kayla Hewitt

May 1, 2026

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Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­¡¯s Carl Spain Center on Race Studies and Spiritual Action will host the Don Williams and Royce Money Distinguished Lecture Series May 1 at 7 p.m. in Chapel on the Hill in the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building. The event, featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annette Gordon-Reed, is free and open to the public.

Gordon-Reed will be speaking on ¡°The Story of Our Founding and Its Impact for Us Today,¡± and the lecture is designed to help the community engage in collective remembrance, said Tryce Prince, executive director of the Carl Spain Center.?

¡°This year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. America 250 provides us with an opportunity to practice what the Carl Spain Center refers to as ¡®collective remembrance.¡¯ We can courageously face our past, its triumphs and tragedies, knowing the power of God within us helps us realize our great potential,¡± Prince said.

Gordon-Reed is the Carl M. Loeb University Professor at Harvard University. She has won 16 book prizes, including the Pulitzer Prize in history in 2009 and the National Book Award in 2008 for The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family. Her most recent book is On Juneteenth, a memoir and history of Texas. A selected list of honors includes a Guggenheim Fellowship in the humanities, a MacArthur Fellowship, the National Humanities Medal, the Frederick Douglass Book Prize, the George Washington Book Prize and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. She is a Texas-raised historian and appears as a featured expert in Ken Burns¡¯ recent PBS documentary The American Revolution.

¨C Wendy Kilmer

April 22, 2026

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ACU¡¯s student film festival returned to the historic Paramount Theatre this spring for the 22nd premiere event to celebrate student achievement in film. The event featured projects from 14 teams, including narrative, documentary and animated films represented.?

The theme of FilmFest 2026 was ¡°On Set,¡± and the evening included past and present judges and mentors describing the experience of being on a film set. Tim Holt (¡¯15), a past FilmFest participant and ACU¡¯s Young Alumnus of the Year, described the challenge of stepping onto a new set.

¡°We¡¯re always trying to make bigger and better videos, and the sets change from shoot to shoot from smaller sets of teams of three to four to bigger shoots which will have probably 50 to 60 people on set. The roles might be carried over but you¡¯re always going to be learning something new based on the type of content that you¡¯re trying to produce.¡±?

More than 100 students participated in producing this year¡¯s films, with a third of those students working on more than one film. In fact, five students this year contributed to at least five films, including Brooke Musia and Lauren Burris who won Best Direction for their film After Emmy and Abbey Monroe who directed the Best Picture winner Courting, along with writer, editor and sound roles on other films.?

Joshua Varner won Best Cinematography for Sins and Cinders, but shot or helped shoot three other films. One of the stand-out-performances this year came from a sophomore multimedia major participating in FilmFest for the first time. Jaden Frecka won Best Original Score for his film Keeping up with the King but also wrote original music for six other films or, in all, half of all submitted films.?

During the event, students also heard from Randy Brewer (¡¯93), long-time producer with Revolution Pictures in Nashville now in Abilene as ACU¡¯s chief storyteller. Brewer told students it¡¯s ¡°important to network long before you graduate.¡± He partnered with FilmFest last May on a road trip to Nashville that included visits to sets and production studios where students met professionals in a range of fields. ¡°You may think, like I did, ¡®I want to be a director,¡¯ and then when you get out there, you may change your mind and think, ¡®Maybe I¡¯d be better at what they do.¡¯ I think everyone should look for a mentor.¡±

This year’s judges were industry mentors from production hubs in L.A., Tulsa and Atlanta. Sommerly Simser (¡®10) is a returning judge and finance executive at Netflix. She is a member of the Television Academy and Women in Film and is the founder of the Tinseltown Scholarship Society, a nonprofit supporting aspiring college filmmakers.?

Two new mentors joined the FilmFest Gala this year. Amy Teague is a set decorator and production designer from Tulsa whose credits include Twisters, Reservation Dogs, The Low Down and The Great Awakening currently in theatres. Nate Corrona comes from Dustbrand Films in Atlanta having directed and produced more than 200 music videos with Grammy-winning artists like Crowder, PJ Morton and Lecrae. Both met with students this year to share their experience and provide feedback leading up to the FilmFest Gala.

Brewer advised students that opportunities to connect with mentors or get chances to be on set exist through FilmFest. ¡°Who are the mentors at FilmFest who are people you can go up to and ask could I have coffee with you? What are some ways I should be on set? You have the opportunity to be mentored more, but you just need to step out.¡±

Visit acu.edu/filmfest to learn more.

¨C Kyle Dickson

April 20, 2026

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During the month of February, Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ will celebrate Black History Month with guest speakers, social events, a local bus tour and other student and faculty activities. Several ACU groups collaborated to plan and host the events, including the Office of Intercultural Engagement and Belonging, the Black Student Union, the Adams Center for Teaching and Learning, and the Office of Spiritual Life.

¡°Join us as we celebrate Black History Month, a time to honor the strength, faith, excellence and enduring impact of Black voices and stories. Together, we remember the past, recognize the present and inspire the future,¡± said Thurmond Metters, director of multicultural student engagement.?

• Feb. 14 ¨C?Soul Food Social ? 2-3:30 p.m., GATA Fountain at Peck Plaza.
• Feb. 16 – Chapel Speaker: Dr. Ray Miller,* senior pastor at First Baptist Church Abilene ? 11 a.m., Moody Coliseum.
• Feb. 18 ¨C Faculty Session ¨C ¡°Beyond February: Integrating Black History Throughout the Year¡± ? 11:30 a.m.¨C12:45 p.m.Adams Center for Teaching and Learning.
• Feb. 20 ¨C?Abilene Black History Bus Tour ? 1-5 p.m., leaving from Brown Library Parking Lot.
• Feb. 21 ¨C?Hair and Fashion Pageant Show ? 6:30-8:30 p.m., Hunter Welcome Center
• Feb. 23 – Chapel Speaker: Thurmond Metters,* director of multicultural student engagement ? 11 a.m., Moody Coliseum.
• Feb. 23 ¨C?Faculty Session ¨C ¡°Community Remembrance Project Memorializing Abilene¡¯s Black History¡± ? 11:30 a.m.¨C12:45 p.m., Adams Center
• Feb. 27 ¨C?AFRAM (African American Festival),* featuring food, games and performances ?? 6-9 p.m., Campus Mall

* Open to the public

¨C Wendy Kilmer
Feb. 10, 2025

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Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ and The Grace Museum will host visiting Chinese artists and dignitaries from Jan. 15-17 for collaborative exhibitions, a public dialogue and a live painting experience, all part of an intercultural project conceived by Robert Green (’79), department chair and professor of art and design at ACU.

The show in ACU’s Shore Gallery, titled ¡°Boundless: A U.S.-China Collaborative Exhibition,¡± features works by Chinese artists: Zhai You, Gao Yun, Fan Lei, Shao Lian, Wang Ping and Wei Dong, alongside American artists: Dallas-area artist Bonny Leibowitz; ACU adjunct instructor of art and design Hollie Brown; ACU art and design professor Kenny Jones (’82); Abilene artist Polly (Compton ’82) Jones; and Green. A smaller companion exhibition entitled ¡°Boundless: Origins¡± will be in the ACU Brown Library, featuring works by Green and Chinese artist Sheng Dongqiao. Zhai, Gao, and Fan will be in Abilene for the openings and events. In addition, Chen Chunmei, minister-counselor for cultural affairs for the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Washington, D.C., will attend the opening of these exhibitions on Jan. 17.

Three main events are planned:

• Public Dialogue: A public dialogue between American and Chinese artists, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 15 at The Grace Museum. A piano recital by Hanqiu Xu, visiting college assistant professor of piano and collaborative arts at ACU, will follow at 8 p.m. in the Williams Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.
• Opening Reception: The opening reception for ¡°Boundless: A U.S.-China Collaborative Exhibition,¡± 10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Jan. 17, at ACU’s Shore Gallery. This event will include a poetry reading by Dr. Steven Moore, professor of language and literature at ACU; a musical performance by Austin-based actor Ryan Chu (’24); and opening statements by Green and Zhai. Zhai is vice president and secretary general of the Jiangsu Chinese Painting Society.
• Collaborative Live Painting: A public collaborative painting experience where Chinese and American artists will create two works together from 2-4 p.m., Jan. 17, at The Grace Museum.
  

All events are free and open to the public.

Green¡¯s project ¨C ¡°Boundless: An Intercultural Exhibition and Dialogue¡± ¨C centers around exhibiting Chinese and American art, along with public dialogue, in both China and in the U.S. The Chinese exhibition, ¡°Connecting Hearts Through Art: A China-U.S. Artistic Exchange¡± took place in May and June at the Yuan Contemporary Art Museum in Nanjing, China. Green and Kenny Jones traveled to China for the opening of the show. They were joined by ACU alumnus Allen Smith and Chinese-American artists Kiki Liu (a ceramicist from Los Angeles), Zhao Jianmin (from San Francisco), and Wang Qingxiang (from Brooklyn, New York). Two other American artists¡¯ works were included in the exhibition ¨C Leibowitz and Abilenian Jingyi Teng, although they did not make the trip to China.

¡°The greatest benefit of this exhibition is that it appears in China and America,¡± Green said. ¡°Though it will speak differently in each setting, it will amplify the importance of cross-cultural dialogues and creative initiatives on both sides of the Pacific.¡±

The concept for this project emerged about two years ago when Green connected with Sheng to discuss shared interests in Chinese art, and their conversations sparked the idea of exhibiting works together.?

¡°I was motivated to reach out to him because our paintings were indebted to traditional Chinese landscape painting styles that date back to the 18th century and beyond,¡± Green said. ¡°It seemed to us that as we were in dialogue with one another, so, too, were our works. Our paintings carried on a conversation with the past and with each other.¡±

The two collaboratively planned both events, developing a catalog of works and agreeing on exhibition titles.?

¡°We were also convinced that having the artists attend the exhibition, come to the opening reception, sit for a public dialogue with local audiences and include interactive elements were necessary to promote mutual understanding and respect,¡± Green said. ¡°The public dialogue will allow us to discuss our different approaches to artmaking and the things that we admire in the art of our respective cultures. Additionally, it will emphasize a theme of respect between Chinese and American people during an era marked by distrust and sometimes demonization.¡±

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Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ has received

Lilly Endowment made the grant through its Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, which is intended to help theological schools across the United States and Canada strengthen their educational and financial capacities to prepare and support pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future.

¡°This initiative, and the resources it makes available, represent a transformational opportunity for the GST as we seek to live out our mission to equip men and women for effective missional leadership for ministry in all its forms and to provide strong academic foundations for theological inquiry,¡± said Dr. Mason Lee, interim dean of the Graduate School of Theology.

ACU¡¯s Ministry Residency Program is a strategic initiative within the Graduate School of Theology to strengthen collaborative partnerships with experienced practitioners and churches. The year-long ministry residency undertaken by GST students and the other aspects of the program bring together accomplished ministers, faculty within the GST and local congregations in a process of mutual enrichment.

¡°We¡¯re seeking to form and prepare the next generation of ministers for the life of the church,¡± Lee said. ¡°Through partnerships with local congregations and ministry practitioners, this program provides holistic training and formation for those called to congregational ministry. It grounds that formation within a local congregation, and partners the GST with working preachers to develop systems of support for students that begin during their theological education but last a lifetime.¡±

ACU¡¯s Graduate School of Theology is one of 163 theological schools whose programs have received funding since 2021 through the Pathways initiative. Together, the schools serve a broad spectrum of Christian traditions in the U.S. and Canada. They are affiliated with evangelical, mainline Protestant, nondenominational, Pentecostal, Orthodox, Catholic, Black church, Latino, Asian American, Indigenous and historic peace church traditions.

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Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ continues to be one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to the latest survey by the

The 2025 Great Colleges to Work For results were announced Sept. 19 at and in a special insert of the The Chronicle of Higher Education. The selections are based on an annual survey of administrators, faculty members and professional support staff at colleges and universities in the U.S. who are asked to evaluate their employer on various qualities and characteristics. In 2025, 199 institutions participated, and 76 were recognized as a Great College to Work For.

ACU was specifically honored for achievements in four categories:?

• Job Satisfaction and Support
• Professional Development
• Supervisor/Department Chair Effectiveness
• Faculty and Staff Well-being

¡°The Great Colleges to Work For survey and recognition is an important tool to ensure we are meeting high standards of excellence in workplace culture and employee well-being,¡± said Dr. Phil Schubert, ACU president. ¡°Our administration and Board of Trustees recognize that ACU¡¯s staff and faculty are at the heart of our mission, and we¡¯re committed to supporting and honoring them.¡±

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More than 7,200 students enrolled at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ this fall, marking the university¡¯s largest-ever student body and an eighth consecutive year of record enrollment. The student total of 7,274 reflects an increase of 787 students or 12% over last year, 37% over the past five years and 60% over the past 10 years.?

A large class of residential freshmen, an intentional focus on retention and continued growth in ACU¡¯s online programs have all contributed to the eight consecutive years of record enrollments, said Dr. Phil Schubert, ACU president.

¡°The high numbers we¡¯re seeing this year, and for the past seven years, confirm that students are attracted to our unique offering: a world class academic education delivered in a Christ-centered community,¡± Schubert said. ¡°We are committed to welcoming each of them as an integral part of our mission to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.¡±

This fall¡¯s record enrollment includes 1,031 new freshmen who come from every region of Texas, the continental United States and across the world with 22 valedictorians, one National Merit Finalist, two National Merit Semifinalists and 31 international students. Among the top programs of interest for incoming students are nursing, kinesiology, finance, psychology and management.

ACU¡¯s overall undergraduate enrollment is up 10% compared to last year. Among residential undergraduates, first-year to second-year student retention hit a record 82%, and the university’s four-year graduation rate recorded an all-time high.

Demand continues to be strong for ACU Online offerings as well, with online enrollment up 25% compared to last year. Undergraduate enrollment in online programs is up 39%, and graduate enrollment is up 13%.

Fall 2025 Quick Facts

• Total enrollment: 7,274
• Undergraduate students: 5,101
• Graduate students: 2,173
• Abilene campus: 3,675
• ACU Online (Dallas):? 3,599
• International students: 212

This university-wide enrollment growth is supported by key institutional achievements, including the university’s new Research 2 (R2) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education and the recent completion of a $300 million comprehensive fundraising campaign.

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Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­¡¯s Crutcher Scott Field at Bullock Brothers Ballpark has been named the Best Sports and Entertainment Construction Project in Texas and Louisiana for 2025 by .

The $17.5 million renovation, completed over a nine-month period in 2024-25 by , transformed the home of Wildcat baseball with chairback seating, an open-air pavilion roof, a new press box, artificial turf, LED lighting and upgraded player development facilities. The project was designed to elevate the fan experience and athlete performance while strengthening ACU¡¯s role as a top-tier NCAA Division I program.?

¡°Every aspect of the design was carefully considered to meet the needs of fans and players, creating a modern venue that will benefit the ACU community for years to come,¡± said Kevin Campbell (¡¯00), ACU¡¯s senior vice president for operations.

Zack Lassiter, vice president for athletics, and head baseball coach Rick McCarty worked closely with the architecture firm with a goal to create the best mid-major baseball facility in the country.?

¡°Not only will this facility improve the fan experience, but it will be a place where our student-athletes can grow spiritually, academically and athletically,¡± Lassiter said.

The recognition also reflects the talent of ACU students and recent graduates. Sam Carter (¡¯23) and Katelyn Graham (¡¯23), now engineers with Linbeck, contributed to the project, along with senior engineering major Jonathan Lochrie, who served as an intern. Linbeck is a member of the advisory board for ACU¡¯s engineering program.?

¡°It¡¯s exciting to see our work recognized at this level,¡± Lochrie said. ¡°We¡¯re proud to represent ACU and hope to continue building projects that make an impact.¡±

In 2024, the Dillard Science and Engineering Research Center received second place in the ENR regional awards, but this year¡¯s honor marks the first time for an ACU facility to win the category.

Learn more about ACU¡¯s Department of Engineering and Physics.

— Wendy Kilmer
Aug. 22, 2025

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