New Jersey City University Honors Class of 2026 in Historic Final Commencement on May 19
NJCU Confers 1,551 Degrees in its Final Ceremony Before Launch of Kean Jersey City
JERSEY CITY, N.J. | New Jersey City University (NJCU) awarded 1,551 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees during its historic final 2026 Commencement exercises on Tuesday, May 19, when the university honored the Class of 2026 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. It was the university's final standalone commencement ceremony before its merger with Kean University closes on July 1 to form Kean Jersey City.
NJCU President Andrés Acebo presided over his fourth commencement ceremony as the leader of the university. He was joined in conferral and distribution of degrees by David S. Birdsell, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Kean University and Chief Academic Officer at NJCU, and the interim deans of the four colleges — Esther Nir, J.D., Ph.D., College of Professional Studies; Mary McGriff, Ed.D., Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education; Jayadhurganandh (J.D.) Jayaraman, Ph.D., School of Business; and Scott Mittman, Ph.D., REM, CESCO, William J. Maxwell College of Arts and Sciences — who were assisted by associate and assistant deans in the conferral of degrees.
In total, NJCU conferred 1,191 undergraduate, 340 graduate, and 20 doctoral degrees during the ceremony. In a testament to the academic strength of the Class of 2026, 339 undergraduate students — nearly one in three — crossed the stage with honors: 139 Cum Laude (GPA 3.65–3.79), 93 Magna Cum Laude (GPA 3.80–3.89), and 107 Summa Cum Laude (GPA 3.90–4.00).
President Acebo offered a frame for what those numbers represent. "For nearly one hundred years, this campus has been holy ground for strivers," he said. "Not privileged people. Determined people."
President Acebo, addressing graduates at the crossroads in the university's nearly century-long history, offered a charge that gave voice to the moment and the mission ahead. "You are the bridge between your alma mater's first century and its second. You are the bridge between memory and possibility. You are the bridge between what this world is and what it still has time to become."
The ceremony featured Jorge A. Plasencia, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Republica Havas and Global Chief Client Officer of the Havas Creative Network, who received an honorary degree from the university and delivered the commencement address to the Class of 2026.
A Miami-born Cuban American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and cultural leader whose career has spanned global marketing, music, entertainment and sports, Plasencia co-founded Republica Havas in 2006, which has grown into a leading international creative and communications agency and in 2026 celebrates its 20th anniversary. His philanthropic and civic leadership includes co-founding Amigos For Kids at age 17, now in its 35th year, serving as board chair of the Miami Dade College Foundation, and as a co-founder of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI), among many other distinctions.
"Your diploma may carry your name, but your story has many authors,” said Dr. Plasencia. “I know that because mine does. Honor them by how you live and now go become an author in someone else's story. Work hard. Stay humble. Give back."
NJCU also presented its Presidential Medallion to Suraj Kaufman, Founder and CEO of Sneaker Room and founder of the Sneaker Room Foundation, making him the 11th recipient of the award, which was established in 2014 to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the university or broader community. A
Jersey City native, Kaufman built Sneaker Room from the ground up into a nationally recognized brand and channeled that platform into lasting community impact through the Sneaker Room Foundation, whose work in youth empowerment, education, and community wellness has served thousands of families across Jersey City and beyond.
Gabriella Martinez, '26, of Jersey City, N.J. delivered the student address during the ceremony. A Mathematics Education major and proud product of Jersey City Public Schools, Martinez is an Honors student, President of Kappa Mu Epsilon, and Lead Teacher
Apprentice in NJCU's Teacher Apprentice Program, where she was nominated for the Distinguished Clinical Intern Award. She delivered a moving address rooted in her commitment to returning to the classroom to give back to the community that shaped her.
"Jersey City didn't just raise me. It shaped me," Martinez said. "People say that this city is rough, that the kids are rough. Maybe that's true, but I see it differently. We're not rough, we're tough."
"Through the Teacher Apprentice Program, NJCU didn't just prepare me to become a teacher — it trusted me to become one," Martinez said. "I want to be a middle school math teacher so I can be the teacher they were to me. If I can reach just one — that one student can change everything. Because I am that one student.”
In a moment that gave the day its full weight, the final undergraduate to cross the stage was Sonya C. Brown, a non-traditional student and long-time member of NJCU's Admissions Department staff since 2010, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Her journey from serving prospective students in Jersey City to joining them as a graduate of the institution she helped build spoke quietly and powerfully to the character of an NJCU education.
It was a moment President Acebo gave voice to in his remarks when he addressed the Class of 2026 as NJCU’s final graduates. "And the answer will not simply be that you were the last," he said. "The answer will be this: That they entered a fractured world and chose to mend it. That they inherited cynicism and answered with compassion. That they walked into cruelty and answered with humanity. That they understood greatness was never about prominence, but about presence. And that when history placed a wounded world into their hands — they did not drop it. They carried it."
He closed with a call that will carry forward as NJCU's story enters its next chapter: "Gothic Knights, carry it forward and always come back to lift others behind you who find their first footings on the campus that shaped your story. Because the soul of this place was never a logo or a signpost. It has always been the people who teach, learn, labor, and love here. The sacred work endures."
The William J. Maxwell College of Arts and Sciences conferred 625 degrees, with Psychology (146), Computer Science (70), and Biology (65) the largest majors. The School of Business graduated 368 students, with Management (125), Finance (61), and Accounting (51) having the largest focus. The College of Professional Studies celebrated Criminal Justice (83), National Security Studies (76), and Nursing (56) among its graduates. The Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education conferred 190 degrees, continuing its enduring mission to prepare educators for New Jersey's classrooms.
The ceremony celebrated students receiving their degrees in January 2026, May 2026, and August 2026.
NJCU also honored its Golden Gothics — representatives of its milestone 50th anniversary class of 1976 and 25th anniversary class of 2001.
The ceremony may be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/live/IYan4Ec3mrs
Photos from Commencement are available at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/swWTNF83uQu77oWp9
The full Commencement program is available here: https://issuu.com/njcu/docs/2026_commencement_progam_njcu
About NJCU
New Jersey City University is a comprehensive public regional institution committed to providing a high-quality education to a diverse student population. Located in Jersey City, New Jersey, NJCU offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs and is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for learning, professional development, and community engagement. Consistent with our mission, NJCU is recognized as a top university for improving upward economic social mobility, ensuring students enrolled in our undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral programs have access to an affordable, diverse environment, and an exceptionally supportive faculty. This prepares them to go on to become the next generation of workers and leaders who improve their communities and the State of New Jersey. On July 1, 2026, NJCU will complete a merger with Kean University to join the Kean University system and become Kean Jersey City.
Contact:
Ira Thor, Associate Vice President for University Communications and Marketing | ithor@njcu.edu | 201-200-3301