With the boom of a canon and flight of mortarboards into the blue midday sky, thousands of Colorado State University students graduated Saturday at Canvas Stadium on the Fort Collins campus.
With the approach of commencement this weekend, CSU President Amy Parsons reflects on her own daughter’s graduation and the connection of more than 6,000 graduates to the enduring power of the university. This campus is a connection point that brings people together and imparts a shared identity; it is a place that will always be theirs.
In this package, meet the Outstanding Graduates, find University-wide Commencement details, the back story about 2026 commencement speaker and Olympian Hunter Powell and insights from speakers dating back to the first graduation held on campus.
Colorado State University will celebrate the achievements of more than 6,000 graduates during its Spring 2026 Commencement, set May 15-16. The university will welcome about 40,000 family members, friends and supporters to Fort Collins for commencement events throughout the weekend.
Each year, Colorado State University celebrates the teaching, research and service achievements of CSU students, alumni and friends, academic faculty, administrative professionals and classified staff as part of the Celebrate! Colorado State Awards.
The Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President held a luncheon on April 22 to recognize its recipients for distinguished teaching and scholarship, faculty excellence, service, advising and leadership-related awards on behalf of the academic enterprise.
Six CSU research projects designed to contribute to rural communities have received seed funding with the aim of enhancing interdisciplinary research and community engagement in Colorado.
Funding comes from the colleges of Agricultural Sciences, Liberal Arts and Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, along with the Office of the Vice President for Research.
Six esteemed faculty members are joining Colorado State University’s elite scholars this month by becoming University Distinguished Professors – an honor based on the highest level of achievement in teaching, research and service, an achievement that has been recognized nationally and internationally.
The power of research and creativity among Colorado State University undergraduates will be on display at the annual Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research, Art, and Leadership Symposium.
In this Special Report, SOURCE looks at how the university strengthens democracy through its teaching, research and community engagement. It’s a critical role for a land-grant school known as “Democracy’s College in the Centennial State.”
