Marshall, TX – Wiley University proudly celebrated its 137th Commencement Weekend on Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, 2026, honoring the achievements, resilience, and promise of the Graduates of 2026 through two meaningful ceremonies that reflected the institution’s enduring legacy of faith, scholarship, leadership, and service.
As commencement ceremonies take place across the nation, the Wiley University experience remains uniquely special because of the individuals both in the audience and on the stage. At Wiley University, where every undergraduate receives a scholarship, Commencement has become a tradition of honoring the student experience through speakers who can connect closely with the stories, journeys, and aspirations of the graduates.
Inspired by the belief that every alumnus and alumna should go forth as a beacon of light, Wiley University challenges students to live out that ideal until the very last moment of their academic journey. Mr. Charles E. Johnson, President of SodexoMagic, connected with the audience through a heartfelt reminder of just how important it is, especially today, to value what you have been called to do.
Johnson delivered a powerful message to the graduating class, drawing from his distinguished career in business leadership and service. As President of SodexoMagic, he has played a significant role in advancing innovation, partnership, and opportunity while leading with a strong commitment to people-centered impact. His remarks challenged graduates to move forward with intention, courage, and integrity, and to use their education as a tool to create meaningful change in the world around them.
He left the audience, and especially the graduates, with a clear charge to pursue their calling with purpose and intention. Johnson reminded those gathered of the incredible legacy that has been built at Wiley University. His impressive credentials were not the only thing the audience witnessed; his message set the stage for legacy to show up throughout the program.
“Spend the rest of your life working for a legacy so that your great-great-grandchildren will know who you are,” Mr. Charles E. Johnson charged the Class of 2026 during Wiley University’s 137th Commencement Exercises.
That message became one of the defining themes of Commencement Weekend. Across campus, legacy was not just spoken about; it was seen, celebrated, and carried forward through families whose Wiley University stories span generations.
This year, Wiley University welcomed Golden and Silver Graduates back to campus as they celebrated the 50th and 25th anniversaries of their graduations. Their return was a powerful reminder that the value of a Wiley University education extends far beyond the years spent in the classroom. It lives on through service, leadership, social good, and the generations that follow.
Among the Golden Graduates was Ms. Irma Smalls, a proud member of the Class of 1976. Fifty years after completing her own Wiley University journey, she returned to witness her daughter, Miranda Smalls, continue the family legacy. Miranda first graduated from Wiley University in 2005 with her bachelor’s degree and returned in 2026 to earn her Master of Business Administration, becoming a two-time Wiley University graduate.
The same spirit of legacy was reflected in the journey of Janae Price, who first arrived on Wiley University’s campus in the fall of 1998. Although her path did not unfold as originally planned, she returned to the campus that helped begin her family’s HBCU legacy and completed the degree she once postponed.
“A degree I postponed has now become a dream come true,” Price shared. “My journey began on this campus in the fall of 1998 as a girl from Minnesota. Although things didn’t quite go as planned the first time around, I am glad I returned to the campus that initiated my HBCU legacy for my daughters. Wiley has produced some exceptional individuals, regardless of the institution’s size. Thank you, Wiley University, for believing in me and welcoming me back home! I am a college graduate.”
Her story captures the power of returning, completing, and building a legacy that reaches beyond one generation. It also reflects Wiley University’s continued commitment to student success, reminding us that the journey to a degree is not always linear, but it is always meaningful.
The weekend also held a meaningful full-circle moment rooted in legacy building and the power of HBCU tradition. Rev. Dr. Christopher B. Davis, Sr., who serves as the 14th President of LeMoyne-Owen College, Memphis’ only Historically Black College and University, delivered the Baccalaureate Address with a message grounded in faith, purpose, and perseverance. The next morning, that same legacy became personal as he watched his daughter, Savanna Davis, walk across the stage to receive her Master of Business Administration degree from Wiley University, continuing a proud HBCU legacy from one generation to the next.
Together, these moments reflected the heart of Wiley University’s legacy: student success that becomes family pride, alumni experiences that strengthen institutional connection, and educational impact that reaches beyond one generation. Commencement Weekend was more than a celebration of degrees earned; it was a living portrait of legacy being built, honored, and passed forward.
In addition to delivering the Commencement Address, Mr. Charles E. Johnson was presented with one of Wiley University’s highest honors, the Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Also receiving this distinction were former Board Chair and attorney Billy R. Casey ’73 and, posthumously, Trustee Emeritus Warren A. Scott ’65.
A total of 239 graduates were awarded degrees during the ceremony. Among them was Wiley University’s own Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Tashia L. Bradley, who earned her Master of Business Administration.
Reflecting on the moment, Dr. Bradley shared, “Mr. Charles E. Johnson delivered a heartfelt reminder that we have so much to offer the world. Listening to his story reminded me that there is something genuinely special about having the privilege to live out your purpose and calling. I am grateful for an institution that not only creates space for students to dream, but also demands that we do. This is the Wiley Way: dreaming and doing. It is our story. It is our history. It is our legacy.”
This year’s Commencement also served as a reminder of Wiley University’s continued role in shaping future leaders who are prepared to excel in their professions and serve with purpose. As graduates glided across the stage, they joined a proud lineage of Wiley University alumni whose lives and work continue to influence education, business, ministry, public service, advocacy, and the arts across the nation and around the world.
Family members, friends, alumni, faculty, staff, trustees, and community supporters gathered throughout the weekend to celebrate this important moment in the life of the University and in the lives of its graduates. Together, they honored not only the completion of an academic chapter, but also the beginning of new journeys filled with promise, responsibility, and opportunity.
As the Class of 2026 now prepares to take its next steps, Wiley University proudly sends forth another generation of graduates equipped to lead, to serve, and to make a lasting difference.
For more information about Wiley University, please contact Catherine G. Sellers, Executive Director of Marketing, Communications, and Brand Management, at communications@wileyc.edu or visit www.wileyc.edu.
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About Wiley University:
Wiley University, formerly known as Wiley College, is a premier liberal arts institution related to the United Methodist Church. The University is dedicated to fostering social good and developing leaders who make a meaningful impact in their communities and beyond.
