Former University President Jim Ryan will serve as the keynote speaker for graduation weekend, according to a Class of 2026 Instagram post Wednesday. Ryan will deliver the commencement address at John Paul Jones Arena May 15 as part of the Valedictory Exercises ceremony.
The University’s Finals Weekend will take place May 15-17, which will include Final Exercises for each school May 16-17. Additionally, the weekend will feature a Fourth-Year Class Party, Valedictory Exercises May 15 — at which Ryan will speak — and School and Department Ceremonies, among other events.
Ryan served as the ninth University president from 2018 up to his resignation in June. He resigned following pressure from the Justice Department after what the Justice Department viewed as Ryan’s refusal to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion policies at the University in accordance with federal civil rights law.
The announcement was also shared in an email to the Class of 2026 Wednesday afternoon. Ryan served as president for three of the Class of 2026’s four years at the University. No tickets are required to attend the address, and “all family and friends are welcome,” according to the email.
“The Class of 2026 entered the University with President Ryan, and we are honored to celebrate the closing of our undergraduate journey with him,” the email read.
According to Keoni Vega, Class of 2026 president and fourth-year College student, the Valedictory Exercises ceremony is organized by the Fourth-Year Trustees — selected students who represent fourth-year students as part of Class Council — including the selection and invitation of the keynote speaker. Vega said that there was a “pretty unanimous vote” among the Trustees to choose Ryan as the keynote speaker.
“There's no one that's meant more to our class than [Ryan], and with … the unfortunate tragedy that happened over the summer, a lot of people were incredibly upset by the circumstances,” Vega said. “It's just really incredible that we as student leaders thought to decide on him as our speaker and invite him to this entirely student-led and student-run ceremony.”
In the Class of 2026 Instagram video with the announcement, fourth-year students were asked who they would like as their graduation speaker. Many students featured in the video responded, “Jim Ryan,” enthusiastically.
According to Vega, brainstorming for potential speakers began last spring, but Ryan quickly emerged as the class’s top choice after his resignation. Traditionally, the Trustees have invited celebrities, including Jason Winston George, Hollywood actor and Class of 1994 alumnus, who spoke at last year’s Valedictory Exercises ceremony.
Annie Zhao, Class of 2026 vice president and fourth-year College student, highlighted how student support for Ryan has been evident since last summer. Zhao recalled the June 28 “Run for Jim” — an event hosted by the Trustees following the announcement of Ryan’s resignation. Hundreds of students, alumni, faculty and community members ran to honor Ryan and the tradition of his “Run With Jim” jogs. She said the event was “such a unifying moment” and reinforced Ryan as the ideal choice to be the keynote speaker.
“At its heart, we started our four years at U.Va. with … Jim Ryan, and we can end our four years with [him] … It's a very sentimental moment that we can round out our chapter of [the University] with him,” Zhao said. “He's been with us through a lot of the challenges, a lot of the scary things … but also a lot of the fun things and the great events that have also occurred.”
Ella Kreft, Class of 2026 Trustees graduation chair and fourth-year College student, reflected on the sentimental and reflective importance of having Ryan speak at the Class of 2026 Valedictory Exercises ceremony. She said that the Class of 2026 wanted to both thank Ryan for his leadership and provide an opportunity to look back on their four years.
“I think graduation is always … a reflective period. I really want it to signify … a very important part in somebody's life … [Ryan’s] vibe is the perfect way to close out our time at U.Va., because he has been such an influential figure to so many people on Grounds,” Kreft said. “I want it to be very sentimental, and I think that us choosing him will really be able to do all of that.”
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