2025 Commencement Ceremony | Class Profile, Speakers, Honorary Degree Recipients and more

Hood College’s 128th annual Commencement ceremonies will be held within Woodsboro Bank Arena at the Ronald J. Volpe Athletic Center on Saturday, May 17. Hood College President Debbie Ricker, Ph.D., will confer degrees upon 494 undergraduate and graduate students in the Class of 2025.

This year, Commencement will feature split ceremonies for undergraduate and graduate students. The undergraduate ceremony will begin at 10 a.m., and the graduate ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. The undergraduate and graduate ceremonies will be livestreamed in their entirety via the Hood College YouTube channel. 

The Class of 2025

Hood’s undergraduate Class of 2025 totals 270 students from 13 different states and Washington, D.C., as well as three different countries. The top three most popular majors for the undergraduate Class of 2025 are nursing, business administration and biology.

The undergraduate class includes 24 “legacy” graduates, which indicates that a direct relative also graduated from Hood. Additionally, six members of the undergraduate class are veterans and/or active-duty service members.

Hood’s 2025 graduate class totals 224 members. The class features 38 students who have received a prior degree from Hood, 10 Hood employees, six students who are veterans and/or active-duty service members, and 11 legacy graduates. 

The class also includes 13 graduates from Hood’s doctoral program, with one student receiving their Doctor of Business Administration degree and 12 receiving their Doctor of Organizational Leadership degree. 

Commencement Speakers

Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Cheryl Dyson, DOL’21, and Associate Professor of Political Science Tamelyn Tucker-Worgs, Ph.D., both distinguished leaders in education and public service, will serve at the featured speakers.

Dyson, an accomplished educator and administrator of more than 25 years, has dedicated her career to fostering student success and equity in education. As superintendent of FCPS, she oversees one of Maryland’s largest and most innovative school systems, working under the mantra of “every child, every day,” highlighting the uniqueness in every student and aligning resources necessary to support their specific needs. Dyson is a Hood alumna, having earned her doctorate in organizational leadership from Hood’s Graduate School in 2021.

Tucker-Worgs, an esteemed researcher and educator at Hood for more than 20 years, serves as the Virginia E. Lewis Professor of political science, chair of the Department of Political Science and Global Studies, and director of the African American studies program. Tucker-Worgs is known for her research and activism in urban politics, social justice and public policy. Her work as an educator and advocate helps to shape discussions on civic engagement and policymaking both within the academic sphere and beyond.

Additional speakers include Hood College President Debbie Ricker, Ph.D., who will give her first-ever presidential address to the graduating class, as well as undergraduate Senior Class President Isabella DiPetrantonio ’25, undergraduate Senior Class Vice President Katie Stang and graduate student Garrett Hitchens ’23, M.S.’25.

Honorary Degrees

During the ceremony, an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree will be awarded to Linda Allan ’70, M.S.’78 and Cheryl Dyson, DOL’22. 

Allan earned both her undergraduate degree in biology and her master’s degree in biomedical science from Hood in 1970 and 1978, respectively. Allan’s professional experience spans the fields of cancer research, information technology and program management. Allan began her career as a cancer researcher at Fort Detrick before transitioning to information technology contracting with the federal government, working with NASA, the U.S. Navy, Army and Air Force, and more. Allan would eventually join NCI Information Systems, Inc., growing from $1M in annual revenue in 1990 to a $350M annual revenue base in 2005.

In addition to her incredible professional career, Allan has been a generous and continuous supporter of Hood, spearheading fundraising events and advocating on behalf of Hood and its students for more than 50 years. Allan served on the Hood College Board of Trustees from 2014 to 2024 and was a member of the Finance and Facilities Committee and Investment Subcommittee. 

Dyson is not only a steadfast ambassador for Hood and the doctoral program, but an advocate for the nearly 48,000 students she serves as the superintendent of Frederick County Public Schools. Under Dyson’s leadership at superintendent, Frederick County high schoolers have received more than $92 million in scholarship offers with a graduation rate of 93%.

More Commencement-related Events

Wednesday, May 14

Graduate Degree Recipient Reception – 6 p.m., Coblentz Dining Hall

Hosted by April Boulton, Ph.D., dean of the graduate school, this event for faculty, graduate degree recipients and their guests includes the presentation of Graduate Student Awards and Graduate Teaching Excellence Awards.

Thursday, May 15

ROTC Commissioning Ceremony – 10 a.m., Whitaker Campus Center, Commons

Graduating members of the U.S. Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at Hood are formally commissioned as Army officers with the rank of second lieutenant and the intent to serve on active duty, either in the Army Reserve or with the National Guard.

Friday, May 16

Nursing Pinning Ceremony – 10 a.m., Coffman Chapel

The annual Nursing Pinning ceremony is a symbolic welcoming into the nursing profession of newly or soon-to-be graduated students from Hood’s nursing program. Nurses are presented with pins by either faculty members, family or a person of significant importance to them.

Baccalaureate Service – 1 p.m., Coffman Chapel

Graduating students, their families and community members are invited to an annual Baccalaureate Service, which includes a multi-denominational service as well as a celebration and farewell of the graduating class.

Senior Sunset – 6:30 p.m., Residential Quadrangle

Members of the graduating class are invited to join in celebration of their achievements and one final evening together on the quad with music, games, a photobooth and more.

Saturday, May 17

Strawberry Breakfast, 7:30 a.m., Coblentz Dining Hall

Strawberry Breakfast is a Hood tradition dating back to 1928 which invites graduates and their families to a breakfast buffet that includes strawberries, ice cream and sticky buns on the morning of Commencement.

A ticket is required for all attendees, including the graduating student. Each graduating student is entitled to one complimentary ticket. Complimentary tickets are available online until 12 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14. Additional tickets will be available for purchase by card (cash not accepted) at the door in Coblentz Hall Dining Room the morning of Commencement. Children aged five or younger eat free. 

For frequently updated information regarding the ceremony, visit hood.edu/commencement.

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