Spring 2026 Commencement Ceremonies
The Spring 2026 College of Arts and Sciences Commencement Ceremonies will be held on Saturday, May 9, at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
| 9 a.m. Ceremony | 1 p.m. Ceremony |
Anthropology | English |
For details, visit appstate.edu/commencement.
Spring 2026 Hooding Ceremonies
Graduate students will wear their hoods to the commencement ceremony but will not be hooded during the event. Some departments hold special hooding ceremonies prior to commencement.
- Department of Biology: May 8, 5-7 PM, RSW 158
Department of Government and Justice Studies – MPA and MAPS: May 8, 3-5 PM, PSU 118 (Solarium)
Department of History: May 8, 2-4 PM, Belk 114
Department of Interdisciplinary Studies – Appalachian Studies: May 9, 10 AM-12 PM, LLA 205 (Great Hall)
Department of Mathematical Sciences: May 8, 3-4:30 PM, Broyhill Music Center 129 (Schaffel Recital Hall)
Department of Physics and Astronomy – Engineering Physics: May 7, 5-6:30 PM, Garwood 108
- Department of Psychology – IOHRM: May 8, 2-4 PM, PSU 420 (Parkway Ballroom)
Department of Psychology – Psychological Science: May 8, 11 AM-1 PM, PSU 137ABC (Grandfather Mountain Ballroom)
Department of Psychology – School Psychology: May 8, 11:30 AM-1:30 PM, PSU 201AB (Blue Ridge Ballroom)
To view a campus map, visit maps.appstate.edu.
Commencement Macebearer
The Appalachian State University mace is carried by a senior faculty member in all academic processions. Traditionally, the macebearer precedes the chancellor of an institution, both upon entering and leaving a ceremony. The mace serves as a symbol of authority just as it did during the Middle Ages, when a macebearer accompanied an official taking office or opening court.
The App State mace symbolizes the university’s mountain heritage, the rustic location and the sophistication of an emerging, national leader in higher education. To learn more about the App State mace's design, visit appstate.edu/commencement.
Dr. Steven Hageman
Dr. Steven Hageman, professor in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, will serve as the macebearer for the 9 a.m. ceremony.
Dr. Hageman, professor of geology, is completing his 29th year on the faculty at App State. Over his tenure, he has served the university through several leadership roles, including as a member of the University Research Council, Faculty Senate and General Education Council, and as co-founder and longtime Advisory Committee Chair of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Microscopy Facility. He is a two-time Fulbright Research Scholar and the past recipient of the CAS William C. Strickland Outstanding Junior Faculty Award, Board of Governors Appalachian State University Excellence in Teaching Award and General Education Transfer Student Champion Award. Hageman has also served as co-editor of the Journal of Paleontology and is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America.
Hageman is currently in phased retirement and will fully retire from App State in May 2028.
Dr. James Goff
Dr. James Goff, professor in the Department of History, will serve as the macebearer for the 1 p.m. ceremony.
Dr. Goff joined the faculty in App State’s Department of History in 1986 and has taught courses in American history, including specialty courses in American religious history, the cultural history of the American South and the history of country and gospel music. In addition to numerous academic and popular articles, he is the author of “Close Harmony: A History of Southern Gospel” and “Fields White Unto Harvest: Charles F. Parham and the Missionary Origins of Pentecostalism” and co-editor of “Portraits of a Generation: Early Pentecostal Leaders.” His 40-year tenure at the university has included serving as the I.G. Greer Distinguished Professor of History (2007–09) and chair of the history department (2014–24).
Goff will retire from App State in June.