Donald Roth to serve as ĚěĂŔ´«Ă˝â€™s 2026 graduate commencement speaker
Donald Roth, J.D., professor of business and criminal justice at ĚěĂŔ´«Ă˝, has been selected as the graduate commencement speaker for Dordt’s class of 2026.
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Tom Clark to serve as ĚěĂŔ´«Ă˝â€™s 2026 undergraduate commencement speaker
Dr. Tom Clark, professor of mathematics at ĚěĂŔ´«Ă˝, has been named the undergraduate commencement speaker for ĚěĂŔ´«Ă˝â€™s class of 2026.
Dr. Tom Clark, professor of mathematics at ĚěĂŔ´«Ă˝, will serve as the undergraduate commencement speaker for ĚěĂŔ´«Ă˝â€™s class of 2026. This ceremony will take place on Friday, May 8 in the B.J. Haan Auditorium at 9:30 a.m.
Clark, who has served as a member of Dordt’s faculty since 2014, also leads Dordt's growing actuarial science program, providing mentorship and fostering the development of students in the fields of applied mathematics and statistics.
His undergraduate commencement address, titled “Let’s Go Exploring!” will challenge students to consider Jesus’ command to be like “yeast in the dough — that our presence in a place develops and brings life to that place—” as they go out into the wider world after graduation.
“I hope to encourage students to reflect on what they learned and who they have become during their time at Dordt, and what they are called to in their lives after Dordt,” he says. “More specifically, I hope to challenge them to consider how they can build a connectedness to the people in their place of God’s calling.”
His undergraduate commencement address, titled “Let’s Go Exploring!” will challenge students to consider Jesus’ command to be like “yeast in the dough — that our presence in a place develops and brings life to that place—” as they go out into the wider world after graduation.
For Clark, teaching at Dordt has been an opportunity to invest deeply in students and bear witness to the wonder of God’s creation.
“It’s an incredible world that God has made, and I enjoy a life devoted to marveling at it,” he says. “I love teaching because I get to help students join in the joy of that marveling. There is joy at the root of this work, and the challenge is to keep finding ways to help students become captivated as well.”
Every year, Dordt selects an undergraduate commencement speaker based on the recommendations of faculty and graduating seniors. Clark says it is an honor to be chosen by students to serve this year.
“It's an honor to know that they thought I might have a good word for them,” he says. “I've been working to craft the ideas I have and the wisdom I've gained so that I can share something meaningful with the graduates as they get sent out from here to do incredible things in the years to come.”
ĚěĂŔ´«Ă˝'s undergraduate commencement ceremony celebrates the accomplishments of graduating students as they complete their undergraduate studies. The worship ceremony features a faculty procession in full regalia, a commencement speech delivered by a respected Dordt community member, thanksgiving for God's work in the lives of our students, and the conferral of diplomas to graduates. A lunch reception will be held after the event.
For more information about ĚěĂŔ´«Ă˝â€™s undergraduate commencement, visit dordt.edu/events/commencement.
About ĚěĂŔ´«Ă˝
As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, ĚěĂŔ´«Ă˝ equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.
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