The University of Arizona conferred nearly 10,000 degrees at the Commencement ceremony on May 15, 2026, in Casino del Sol Stadium. Friends and family members gathered to watch tassels flip, fireworks pop and feel the bass of celebratory music boom throughout the stadium.
Keynote speaker Eric Schmidt — who is the former CEO of Google — focused his speech on the rise of artificial intelligence. He was booed for much of his time on stage, not only because of the content of his speech. Schmidt's name appears in the Epstein Files and he was also recently sued by his ex-girlfriend for alleged sexual assault and digital surveillance. Several UA student groups fought to replace Schmidt as the speaker and their efforts caught national attention.
