Seton Hall Graduates 2,325 of the Class of 2026, Arthur Brooks Gives Commencement Address

Seton Hall University celebrated its 170th Baccalaureate Commencement on Monday, May 18, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, with the keynote delivered by best-selling author Arthur Brooks, Ph.D., professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Business School.

The University conferred baccalaureate degrees on 1,451 students, including 770 graduating with honors. An additional 874 students earned master’s and doctoral degrees this commencement season, bringing the total number of graduates to 2,325.

Vice President of Student Services Monica Burnette, Ph.D., welcomed the Class of 2026 before formally beginning the proceedings. "It is the custom at Seton Hall University to begin the commencement procession with a pipe band, to honor the Scottish origins of its namesake and patroness, Saint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton," she said.

Faculty Senate Chair and Professor of Nursing Mary Ellen Roberts, D.N.P., led the academic procession. Seton Hall University ROTC served as the color guard. The Saint Columcille United Gaelic Pipe Band played the traditional pipes and drums as part of the festivities. Douglas Vail, a rising junior double majoring in political science and economics with a minor in music, performed the national anthem.

The master of ceremonies was Interim Provost and Executive Vice President Erik Lillquist, J.D.

Invocation by Cardinal Tobin

Cardinal Joseph William Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark and University Chair, Board of Trustees and President, University Board of Regents, delivered the Invocation to the Class of 2026.

"Lord, we ask Your blessing upon these graduates. Through years of dedication and discipline, they have sought the truth and acquired the knowledge necessary to serve our world. As they prepare to go forth from this campus, may they carry with them the enduring values of our patroness, Saint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton: faith and hope, courage and curiosity, and a deep commitment to compassion and service."

He prayed that the graduates, "always remember that they are links in a chain of service and faith. Lead them to use their talents to inspire great minds to a greater purpose, transforming the world by the power of Your grace."

Keynote by Arthur Brooks: "Faith, Family, Friends and the Sanctification of Work"

After receiving his Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, Arthur C. Brooks, Ph.D., delivered the keynote address. Introducing Professor Brooks, Lillquist shared that his personal mission is to teach people how to lift each other up using science.

Brooks' address centered around "the thing that everybody wants the most" and what he has dedicated his life to as a behavioral scientist: the science of happiness. Brooks opened with the words of Saint Thomas Aquinas: "Every human desires to be happy."

Brooks noted that while happiness is universal, it is also often misunderstood. Drawing again on Saint Thomas Aquinas and his own work as a social scientist, Brooks argued that many people pursue the wrong goals in search of greater happiness.

Brooks referenced what Aquinas described as four "idols" people often chase — "money, power, pleasure and fame" — explaining that while none are inherently bad, they ultimately cannot satisfy the deeper longing for meaning and happiness.

Instead, Brooks offered what he described as four enduring goals for "the happiest, most meaningful life:" faith, family, friendship and "the sanctification of your work."

Speaking personally about his Catholic faith and referencing the University’s founding mission, Brooks reflected on the importance of living for something greater than oneself.

"Go deeper into your faith for the rest of your life,” he said. “You will, I promise, become a happier person."

Turning to family and friendship, Brooks encouraged graduates to invest in authentic relationships and resist the division and isolation that increasingly define modern life. "Don't lose touch with people that you know in real life today," he said. "They are a source of your happiness."

Brooks also emphasized the dignity and purpose found in work rooted in service to others, describing meaningful work as more than status or financial success. "It's serving other people," he said. "To be needed, that is truly what it means to sanctify your work."

As a gift to graduates from the University, the Class of 2026 found copies of Brooks' latest book, The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness, on their seats earlier that morning.

Bringing the themes together, Brooks said the pursuit of happiness ultimately comes down to love: "Love of God, love of your family, love of your friends and love of the whole world… Happiness, my friends, is love."

Pointing to the University's motto, Hazard Zet Forward, Brooks closed by inviting graduates to take in the moments ahead: "Go forward through the hazards of life. Forward toward what? Toward true happiness with God and heaven, which is the happiness that you crave. That, my friends, is the journey that awaits you."

"...Be The Difference in Our World"

Diane M. Foley, president and founder of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, was conferred an honorary degree. A retired family nurse practitioner, her oldest son, conflict journalist James Wright Foley, was killed by ISIS in 2014 for being an American reporter and a Christian. She was inspired by his moral courage and the Holy Spirit to establish the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which advocates for U.S. nationals taken captive abroad and works to safeguard journalists. In 2024, she co-authored the book American Mother with Irish American author Colum McCann. Copies of Foley’s book were distributed at the President’s Reception on the day prior.

Reflecting on the life of her son, Foley emphasized how an extraordinary impact often begins with ordinary acts of courage: "Jim was an ordinary, hardworking person with hopes and dreams like all of you. When tested, he became truly extraordinary. You too can, and will, become extraordinary."

Foley invoked the University's patroness and namesake, connecting Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton's call to "move forward no matter the obstacle." She challenged the graduates, "As you prepare to leave [Seton Hall], I challenge you to make a difference for good in this world, no matter the obstacles."

Referencing the advocacy and impact of the foundation founded in her son’s name, Foley shared, "Jim believed every person deserved freedom; that every story matters; and that each of us has a responsibility to act when confronted with injustice. Today, I challenge each of you to find your purpose."

Foley closed her message to the graduates, emphasizing the importance of each graduate's role in shaping a more compassionate world: "We need your goodness and your compassion to be the difference in our world. God is counting on each of you. You are truly the hope for the future."

Valedictory Address

Leo Chu, a double major in biology and anthropology from Castro Valley, California, delivered the Valedictory Address. During his time at Seton Hall, Chu championed mentorship and service as a supplemental instructor and student coordinator at the Academic Resource Center, through roles with the Pre-Professional Advising Center and the Biology Society and through volunteerism at St. John’s Soup Kitchen.

Focused on underserved medicine, he explored the interactions between health and demography through anthropological research and served as a student editor for Locus: The Seton Hall Journal of Undergraduate Research. After graduation, Chu will attend the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and pursue his passion for healthcare for underserved populations.

In his remarks, Chu reflected on how, upon entering as incoming students, the Class of 2026 read Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson as part of the University's summer reading program. Chu related the lessons learned from Stevenson's work to the importance of togetherness and a shared responsibility to help others.

Quoting the late Pope Francis on the need for togetherness, Chu shared: "'To understand one another, we need to grow in charity, in truth. We need to pause, to accept, to listen to one another.'"

He pointed to the ways graduates already lived those values throughout their time at Seton Hall – through volunteerism, engaging with perspectives different from their own and forming friendships across backgrounds and experiences. "At Seton Hall, we do this. We know this," Chu affirmed.

Encouraging graduates to carry that spirit forward, Chu spoke about the need for "pausing together" and seeking to "bring others into the family, your journey into our journey."

The Charge to Graduates

University President Monsignor Joseph Reilly, an alumnus of the Class of 1987, delivered the charge to the Class of 2026, reflecting on faith, purpose and the enduring presence of the Holy Spirit throughout life's joys and struggles.

Drawing from the prayer Adsumus Sancte Spiritus, "We stand before you, Holy Spirit," Monsignor Reilly encouraged graduates to recognize the Spirit at work, "in every place and time," especially during moments of uncertainty and hardship.

"It is natural and obvious on days like today to see the Holy Spirit," he said. "Days of joyful celebration and hope for the future."

"And yet, it's also part of life that we should have moments of struggle. Times when we undergo the fundamental human experience of pain and loss. Times when we wonder if our difficulties and challenges have any purpose at all."

Throughout the address, Monsignor Reilly emphasized that fulfillment comes not simply through professional success, but through openness to God's purpose and calling.

"That is the promise God is holding out to each one of you here today. Not just the promise of a good job. Not just the promise of financial stability. And not just the promise of success in its many forms. It's the promise of growing in a deeper relationship with the Lord and a greater understanding and appreciation of why God brought you to the moment in which you find yourself today."

Referencing the remarks of Brooks and Foley, Monsignor Reilly reflected on how faith and the work of the Holy Spirit can transform suffering into compassion, forgiveness and service to others.

"Forgiveness is something that we need to learn, because it is one of the central aspects of God," he said. "It doesn't come naturally to us as humans."

Monsignor Reilly concluded by challenging graduates to carry forward the lessons and values formed during their years at Seton Hall.

"So, Class of 2026, my charge to you all is this," he said. "Take your years of study at Seton Hall; combine them with your own personal gifts; and accept the invitation of God Almighty to travel His journey of purpose, of love and forgiveness."

"If you do this, the world five and 10 years from now will be very different," he continued. "It will be more just. More peaceful. More compassionate. And it will be that way because of all of you who are sitting here today."

Reilly closed with a final blessing for the graduating class: "May the Holy Spirit be with you always and bless you each day of your journey, in every place and time."

Welcoming the Newest Alumni

President of the Alumni Board of Directors Paul Tyahla '03/M.B.A. '24 welcomed the Class of 2026 into the global Seton Hall alumni community. A two-time graduate, Tyahla reflected on the enduring pride and connection of being a Pirate for life.

"We share more than just a degree; it's the values that brought us here. Faith, resilience, integrity, the pursuit of excellence," Tyahla noted.

Tyahla reminded graduates that they are joining a family of more than 100,000 alumni worldwide: a network that is diverse, dynamic and always ready to offer support.

Closing Prayer

With their tassels turned, the graduates turned their attention to the closing prayer, presented by Reverend Gerald Buonopane, Ph.D., vice provost for academics and Catholic identity.

Leading the crowd, he implored, "Bless these young people with goodness and success. Enable them to stay true to their dreams, to discern what is right, good and just, and to use their gifts wisely and in service to others."

In his closing, Father Buonopane also drew inspiration from the University's patroness: "May they begin now their new journeys inspired by the words of our patroness, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton: 'God calls you to a holy life. He gives you every grace, every abundant grace; grace to be able to carry you through every obstacle and difficulty.'"

Following tradition, the Commencement ceremony closed with the singing of the University's Alma Mater, also performed by rising junior Douglas Vail.

Please visit our Commencement website for more information about the speakers and Seton Hall’s 170th baccalaureate ceremony.

Categories: Campus Life