More than 1,500 graduates turned their tassels at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Friday, May 9, as Butler University celebrated the Class of 2025 during its annual Commencement ceremony. The event recognized 1,086 undergraduate and 479 graduate students, along with three individuals honored with the University’s highest recognition—an honorary degree.

The evening was filled with heartfelt reflections, proud families, and plenty of applause as graduates marked the end of one chapter and the start of the next.

President James M. Danko welcomed the crowd and offered congratulations to the graduates on behalf of the entire University community.

“You’ve stretched your thinking, found your voice, and discovered what matters most to you,” President Danko said. “You have left your mark on Butler, and we cannot wait to see the mark you will leave on the world.”

Student speaker Andrew Byrd ’25, a Finance and Accounting major in the Lacy School of Business, looked back on the moments that shaped his Butler experience—from nearly transferring during his first year to leading multiple student organizations and landing a competitive co-op at Johnson & Johnson.

“Butler doesn’t just teach values like teamwork, selflessness, and personal accountability. It lives them,” Byrd said. “And through that, it teaches us how to live them too.”

Dr. Brooke Harris Garad, Assistant Professor in the College of Education, delivered the faculty address, drawing inspiration from the lessons found in children’s literature.

“When things aren’t going your way, use your brilliant and beautiful mind to dream beyond your circumstances,” Dr. Garad said. “And when things are going your way, be a helper, be a friend, and teach someone else how to fly.”

The University also conferred honorary degrees on three remarkable individuals. Reverend Jean McAnulty Smith ’65 received a Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of her groundbreaking work in journalism, philanthropy, and civic leadership. Bruce Arick, who recently retired as Butler’s Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration after three decades of service, was awarded a Doctor of Public Affairs. And Charles H. DeBow Jr. ’48, MS ’53, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen and a longtime educator, was posthumously honored with a Doctor of Public Affairs, accepted by his son, Charles DeBow III.

Together, the ceremony’s speakers and honorees captured the spirit of the day: a celebration of growth, perseverance, and the values that make the Butler community so special.

“As the newest group of Butler alumni,” President Danko told the Class of 2025, “you’re changing what it means to be a Butler Bulldog.”