Ball State University next month will confer approximately 3,000 doctoral, specialist, master’s, and baccalaureate degrees at its 2024 Spring Commencement ceremony.
The University’s 198th Commencement ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 4, in the Quad, followed by individual college ceremonies throughout the day at Worthen Arena and Emens Auditorium.
Stedman Graham, a New York Times bestselling author, educator, business advisor, and 1989 Ball State University graduate, will deliver the address to Ball State’s Class of 2024 at the main ceremony.
In addition to Mr. Graham’s address, the main Commencement ceremony on May 4 will include a special acknowledgment for June Scheumann, a dedicated benefactor and supporter of Ball State.
“As we prepare for the upcoming Spring Commencement ceremony on our beautiful Quad, I look forward to celebrating the many achievements of our students, who are poised to embark on the pursuit of fulfilling careers and meaningful lives,” Ball State President Geoffrey S. Mearns said. “I am grateful for the sustained and collective commitment of our graduates, of their family and friends, and of our faculty, staff, and Board of Trustees.”
Chairman and CEO of S. Graham and Associates, Mr. Graham has delivered lectures and training workshops worldwide about “Identity Leadership,” a concept based on the philosophy that people cannot lead others until they first lead themselves. His book about this concept, also titled Identity Leadership, was published in 2019.
As an educator, Mr. Graham has been a distinguished visiting professor at numerous colleges and universities around the nation. Mr. Graham, who earned his master’s degree in education from Ball State in 1989, is a former adjunct professor at the Northwestern Kellogg School of Business, where he taught the course, “The Dynamics of Leadership.”
In 2022, Mr. Graham returned to Ball State as a featured speaker in the David Letterman Distinguished Professional Lecture and Workshop Series.
“We welcome Stedman Graham back to campus as our Commencement speaker,” President Mearns said. “Mr. Graham’s message on identity leadership aligns with our University’s enduring values of excellence, innovation, courage, integrity, inclusiveness, social responsibility, and gratitude.”
June Scheumann is the wife of the late John Scheumann, who graduated from Ball State in 1971. She is the president and treasurer of the Scheumann Foundation.
Among many University gifts, the Scheumann family significantly supported the 2005 renovation of the
John B. and June M. Scheumann Stadium with a $4 million contribution. In 2019, the Scheumann family made the lead $7 million gift to support the
Scheumann Family Indoor Practice Facility at Ball State. Most recently, Ms. Scheumann
contributed $2.5 million to advance the development and construction of the new Performing Arts Center—the catalyst of the University’s Village revitalization plan.