On Saturday, May 9, Elizabethtown College recognized and celebrated the Class of 2026 as service-minded scholars and community-focused leaders ready to make a difference in this world.

“Class of 2026, your experiences have brought you to this moment,” Betty Rider, Elizabethtown College President, addressed the Class of 2026 during Saturday’s valedictory. “They have shaped who you are, and they will continue to shape who you become. So, as you leave here today, take those experiences with you. Let them guide your decisions. Let them inform your values. Let them give you confidence when you face uncertainty and humility when you find success. And most importantly, be open to what comes next. Because many more meaningful experiences of your life are still ahead of you.”

View a video recap of the Class of 2026 Commencement ceremony.

A total of 612 eligible graduates from six of Etown’s Schools, including the School of Graduate and Professional Studies (SGPS), were honored in the Dell alongside family and friends. Tom Baldrige H’17, an accomplished nonprofit executive with more than three decades of leadership experience, served as Commencement speaker.

Baldrige currently serves as the interim president and CEO of Pennon, the parent organization of WITF public media. Prior to this role, he led the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce in Lancaster County as the organization’s president and CEO from 2000 to 2022.

Throughout his distinguished career, he has been a respected and influential leader in the community, currently serving as vice chair of the High Foundation Board of Trustees and on the boards of Penn Medicine/Lancaster General Health, LancasterHistory, and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.

In his speech, he encouraged the Class of 2026 to define success through authenticity, positivity, and service to others as they pursue their future goals.

“I am fully confident you will achieve success far beyond today if you adhere to the principles of this institution,” Baldrige said. “I am fully confident you, and your workplace and your communities, will achieve success if you show up. As your authentic self. With a positive attitude. And ready to lean in and help.”

Charles “Charlie” D. Schaeffer Jr., Ph.D., was recognized with a posthumous honorary Doctor of Science degree. Schaeffer served as a passionate and beloved teacher, mentor, and scholar at Etown for nearly five decades. 

Schaeffer joined the Chemistry faculty as an assistant professor in 1976, was promoted to A.C. Baugher Professor of Chemistry in 1991, and served as department chair from 1989 to 1993. The first holder of the A.C. Baugher Endowed Chair in Chemistry, he was granted emeritus status in 2009. 

A gracious supporter of the College, Schaeffer generously contributed to various capital initiatives, including the chemistry laboratories in Musser Hall, the Anatomy & Physiology Classroom and Laboratory in the Lyet Wing of the Masters Center for Science, Mathematics & Engineering, and the Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness & Well-Being. He also established the Schaeffer Equipment Fund, benefiting Etown students for more than three decades.

Alysse M. Smith ’26, a Biology major with a Health Professions concentration and minors in Spanish and Chemistry, served as the College’s Commencement Student Speaker. 

An engaged leader on campus who is passionate about amplifying voices and inspiring meaningful change, Smith was named the recipient of the 2025–26 Points of Distinction Award – the highest Student Life honor at Etown. In her speech, she praised the Class of 2026 for their perseverance and encouraged graduates to trust in themselves as they pursue their next chapter.

“Whether you have a plan or you don’t. Whether you feel ready for what’s next or not ready at all, you are not behind,” Smith, who will continue her education at Howard University’s College of Medicine, shared. “Trust that who you are becoming will meet you there.”

Saturday’s ceremony also included remarks delivered by Board of Trustees Chairman Michael S. Spangler ’88, and an invocation offered by Rev. Amy B. Shorner-Johnson, Chaplain & Director of Spiritual and Religious Life.


View more photos from the day on Elizabethtown College’s Flickr page.