Department of Special Education Graduate Recognition Ceremony 2026

Welcome to the Special Education Graduate Recognition Ceremony 2026! Please join us for a day of honoring our exceptional students on Saturday, May 16, 2026 at 10:00 AM (PST) at the Student Life Events Center / Annex I. Students will receive a certificate for their achievements during the ceremony.

If you completed your degree or program in Fall 2025, or are completing this Spring 2026, or Summer 2026, then we are celebrating YOU! If you have not yet applied for graduation, the deadline to apply for graduation is 4/1/2026.

You must be in full SFSU graduation regalia (rent cap & gown) The cap and tassel are yours to keep! Ordering deadline: Tuesday, April 14th at 9:59pm. Regalia rented online will come with a pre-paid return label to make sending your regalia back to Jostens easy. Please hang on to your shipping box to mail your regalia back.

Please join us and invite your friends and family to celebrate your accomplishment! The Student Life Event Center/Annex I is a large venue and can accomodate up to 600 seats.

This is a free event, but you will need to fill out registration information and answer 3 quick questions, click "Reserve a spot". You can let us know how many guests you plan to bring.

RSVP by 8pm Sunday, May 3, 2026.

If you will be using ride-hailing services (Waymo/Uber/Lyft), please give 1 North Drive, SF as the Annex address.

Please note that Parking fees are enforced everyday, including weekends, see https://parking.sfsu.edu/visitorguest-general-public-parking. For visitor information: https://parking.sfsu.edu/visitor-information.

Please note that there will be ample time for photos with your graduate after the ceremony

Dr. Amber Friesen, Professor and Chair of the Department of Special Education

Dr. Cynthia Grutzik, Dean of the Graduate College of Education

• Visual Impairment Program (TVI)
• Orientation & Mobility Program (O&M)
• Mild to Moderate Support Needs Program (MMSN)
• Extensive Support Needs Program (ESN)
• Early Childhood Special Education Program (ECSE)
• Joint Doctorate (JD) in Special Education (San Francisco State University (Graduate College Of Education) and the University Of California, Berkeley (Graduate School Of Education) jointly offer a PH.D. program in Special Education)

Dr. Adam Graves, Assistant Professor and Visual Impairment Program Coordinator

• Student's names will be called out when awarding certificates
• Graduates will be directed to the left side of the stage by program in this order: JD, VI, O&M, MMSN, ESN, ECSE
• Taking photos is encouraged, but please allow enough room for the graduates to return to their seats after receiving their certificate

Dr. Amber Friesen, Professor and Chair of the Department of Special Education

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