(Music Playing) Good afternoon.

I'm Richard Spreng, the associate dean for undergraduate programs at the Eli Broad College of Business.

On behalf of our faculty and staff it is my pleasure to welcome you all to the commencemen ceremony of the Broad College's graduating seniors for the class of 2026.

In attendance today, our distinguished guests and speakers, families and friends, and most importantly, our graduates.

We would also like to extend a special welcome to the Honorable Brianna Scott, chair of the MSU Board of Trustees, and the Honorable Rebecca Baker Cook, member of the MSU Board of Trustees who have joined us here today.

Let me be the first to congratulate our graduates on their accomplishment today as a result of hard work, perseverance, and dedication.

While this day is a celebratio of you, it's also a celebration of those who have supported you along the way your friends, family, teachers, mentors, and peers.

Graduates, let's take a moment to show our appreciation with a round of applause for them.

Now please stand if able, for the national anthem to be led by Amira Coleman and the MSU Symphony Band, directed by Professor David Thornton.

(Singing and performance of Star-Spangled Banner) You may be seated.

Now, I'm excited to introduce our 2026 commencement speaker, Chris Feuell.

Chris is a transformational leader with more than two decades of experience across global companies including Stellantis, Honeywell, Ford, and Johnson Controls.

Most recently, she served as the CEO of Chrysler brand, becoming the first woman to lead the iconic automaker in its nearly 100 year history.

A proud Broad alum, Chris earned her bachelor's degree in general business and remains deeply committed to the Spartan community.

She serves on the Broad College Advisory Board, where she helps guid the future of business education and is a passionate advocate of mentorship and leadership development for students.

Please join me in welcoming Chris to the podium.

Thank you for the very kind introduction, Dean Spreng.

I also want to express gratitude to my family, my daughters, Katie and Kelly, who is a 2019 Broad grad, and especially my parents, Dave and Jenny Winterberg, who helped me to discover my strengths and gave me the foundation for many of the opportunities that I've had.

Thank you also to the dedicated faculty and staff, distinguished alumni and especially the graduating class of 2026.

I am so honored to celebrat this pivotal milestone with you and every time I return to campus I am filled with so much pride because Michigan State played a major role by challenging my comfort zones, teaching me how to work in teams, and helping me to build resilience and manage through tough situations.

But when I sat where you are today, I didn't have a five year plan.

At 22 years old, I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up.

I just wanted a job to pay of my loans and make it on my own.

And my career path has been anything but linear, and that ended up being a very good thing.

If it's one thing I've learned, it's this that growth happens when you challenge your comfort zones and you say yes before you feel ready.

Midway through my career at Ford.

I was offered a role that honestly terrified me.

I was leading global product marketing for Ford's SUV programs while raising twin toddlers at home.

I felt completely overwhelmed and unprepared, but I leaned into it and said yes anyway.

And that decision changed my life.

It was my responsibilit to develop the product roadmap to deliver our growth and profit targets, while attracting new customers to the brand.

And I inherited a plan that made evolutionary improvement on the products we already had, but it lacked offerings to really attack whitespace opportunities in the market, specifically a sleek, sporty crossover to appeal to consumers who didn't want traditional boxy SUVs anymore.

This concept, which we called the Mustang of SUVs, became the Ford Edge, which launched in 2007 and has sold million vehicles during its run.

Now, the success at the edge was not accidental.

It was intentional.

We had a strong understanding of the market, our customer requirements and the competition.

The goal was not to create something easy, but something differentiated.

And that experience taught me something simple but very powerful.

Discomfort isn't a warning sign.

It's a signal that you're growing.

If I hadn't said yes to that opportunity, I would not have learned how t work in cross-functional teams, how to manage a global business and PNL, and how to grow a business to a multi-billion dollar business unit.

That set me up for future C-suite roles.

Later in my career.

So if I could give you one piece of advice, it would be this.

When you're faced with an opportunity that's just beyond your reach, say yes anyway.

Say yes to that role that scares you.

Say yes to that international assignment.

Raise your hand before you feel 100% ready.

And when that inner voice says, I'm not ready, it's not telling you to stop.

It's telling you that you're stretching.

And those stretch assignments reveal who you are becoming, your strengths, your resilience, and where you still have room to grow.

Of course stepping into these situations takes a level of confidence that you likely won't feel immediately.

I certainly didn't.

So my second piece of advice to you today is this.

Be confident that everything you've worked for, the challenges you face, th setback that you push through, and the journey that brought you here has prepared you for what's coming next.

Take a moment to reflect on your time here at Michigan State.

Think about how far you've come.

The late nights, those moments of doubt, the times you had to stretch beyond what felt comfortable to you.

That's where the growth happened.

And that journey is not behind you.

It's the foundation that you will build on moving forward.

Graduates, you're entering world that is changing at a pace no previous generation has experienced.

Advanced technology, geo politics, artificial intelligence all of it is reshaping the way we live and work.

And that's not something to fear.

It's your advantage.

You are uniquely prepared to lead through this change and you won't do it alone.

You carry with you a community, a physical city staff, and fellow Spartans who believe in you and will continue to support you.

So when you face that moment, that one that feels too big and too uncertain, go for it anyway.

Trust your values.

Lead in your own voice.

And remember that growth doesn't happen when you feel settled and comfortable.

It comes when you step into something much bigge than you ever imagined possible.

I'm incredibly optimistic about the future because of leaders like you.

MSU will always be your home and it will continue to thrive because of alumni like you who stay engaged and give back wherever life takes you.

Remember, we are Spartans for life.

Part of a global and powerful network that makes a difference wherever we go.

Congratulations, class of 2026.

The world is waiting.

Go green.

Thank you, Chris for those inspiring words today and for your continued dedication to the success of our student and Michigan State University.

Now, it is my pleasure to introduce the 2026 student commencement speaker, Samarth Shandilya.

Samarth is a supply chain management major with a minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

In his time at Michigan State, he has been an active and engaged leader across the broad community, serving as a broad champion, the Professional Development Director of the Broad Student Senate, a Senior advisor at Students Consulting for nonprofits.

A member of Delta Sigma Pi, a participant in the College Advisory Council, director of the Associated Students of Michigan State University, a resident assistant and a peer coach with the Russell Palmer Career Management Center.

Please join me i welcoming Samarth to the podium.

Go, green.

Hi.

I think we can do.

Louder.

Go, green.

Go white.

That's more like it.

Thank you.

Dean Spreng.

Good afternoon.

My name is Samarth Shandilya, and it's an honor to represent the class of 2026.

My parents are sitting here today after nearly 40 hours of travel.

My dad grew up in a small farming village where opportunity was never guaranteed.

And my mom, she grew up in a caste system that decided how far she could go.

But they took a risk.

They chose possibility and they bet on it.

Growing up in Delhi I saw how rare that chance is.

Not everyone gets to find their why?

And when I got here, somewhere between all of that and the center of all human wisdom.

This test of Minskoff, I found mine using supply chains to expand dignity and opportunity.

Michigan State University taught me how to bet on that.

Three bets worth making.

First, bet on yourself.

My first semester, I got rejected from every student organization I applied to.

I didn't submit a singl homework for two whole months, which, if you're wondering, is a surprisingly efficient way to destroy your GPA and.

And when bro rejected me.

That one felt fair.

But something shifted.

I started showing up every day, even when it felt like nothing was working.

And over time, it compounded.

This place doesn't just test you.

It builds you through hard classes, leadership, those group projects.

But half the team disappears.

Eventually, things changed for me to a high GPA serving this school as a senator, a dream job in tech.

We don't control the economy.

The timing, whether the 31 bus comes in January.

But we do control one thing and that's the bed we place on ourselves.

None of that happened alone.

Which brings me to my second bet.

Bet on your team.

The world's biggest problems don't care about individual resumés.

They require teams.

And over the last four years, we've been trained for exactly that.

Learning to work with peopl who think differently than us.

We've seen what that takes.

Working through things that didn't go as planned.

Figuring it ou when nothing else was clicking.

Learning to rely on each other to get it done.

The real advantage, believe it today, is not technology, but the people sitting next to u who know how to use it together.

Once you have those people, remember the third bet.

Bet on joy.

Life doesn't start after you win the jackpot.

It's happening right now.

So take the detour.

Meet new people.

Call home more often.

Sorry, mom.

Side quests matter.

Standing at Daves at 2 a.m.. Dancing at the Riv, cheering at the endzone.

That's where we learn to find joy.

And that is the most important bit of all.

Decades ago, tw people made those bets for me.

They chose possibility.

And now it's our turn.

So as we leave here today, ask yourself one question.

What is your why?

When you find it have the courage to bet on it.

When someone asks who's goin to change the world of business?

I'll bet on us Spartans.

Well.

Congratulations, class of 2026.

Thank you Samarth.

On behalf of the entire college, we would like to thank you for inspiring speech today and your dedication to your classmates in the college throughout your time here.

Now, it is my hono to acknowledge the Broad College faculty and staff who joined us today to celebrate the success of our graduates.

Will the faculty and staff including those on the platform and those serving as escorts, please stand so that we may recognize you?

Thank you.

At this time, we shall confer the baccalaureate degree upon candidates from the major disciplines within the Eli Broad College of Business.

I will ask each department chair to come to the microphone.

Graduates, when announced please stand if able and remain standing until all departments are announced from the Department of Accounting and Information Systems, Department chair and professor doctor as well one.

Will the candidates of the Bachelor of, Bachelor of Arts in degree in accounting.

Please rise.

Dean Spreng.

On behalf of the dedicated faculty of the Department of Accounting and Information Systems, I am delighted to present to you these numbers savvy, audit proof and truth seeking candidates for the conferral of their degrees.

Thank you.

Thank you.

From the School of Hospitality, Business school director and the John and Becky Duffy Professor of Hospitality Business, doctor Karthik Namasivayam.

Well the candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree in hospitality business.

Please rise.

Dean Spreng, on behalf of the faculty of the School of Hospitality Business, I. I'm pleased to present to yo these outstanding future leaders of the global hospitality industry for the conferral of their degree.

You.

From the Department of Management.

Department chair and professor.

Doctor Kent Miller.

Would the candidates for the bachelor's degree in human resource management.

Please rise and remain standing?

And likewise, would the candidates for the degree of management please rise and remain standing?

Well, Dean Spreng, on behalf of the outstanding faculty of the Department of Management, it's my pleasure to present these candidates for the conferral of their degree degrees.

From the Department of Marketing.

Interim departmen chair and associate professor.

Doctor Forrest Morgeson.

Will the candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing please rise?

Dean Spreng on behalf of the amazing faculty of the Department of Marketing, I am pleased to present you these exceptional future business leaders as candidates for the conferral of their degrees.

From the Department of Supply Chain Management, the John H. McConnell Endowed Chair, Business Administration, Doctor Sriram Narayanan.

The with the candidates for Bachelor of Arts degree in Supply Chain Management.

Please rise.

Dean Streng, on behalf of the faculty in the Department of Supply Chain Management, I am pleased to present these outstanding graduates of nation's number one suppl chain undergraduate supply chain program ranked 15 years in a row for conferral of the degree.

This is the talent that will move everything from hospitals to global supply networks, helping make communities better everywhere for conferral of their degrees.

From the Department of Finance.

Department chair in the Frederick S Addy Distinguished Chair in Finance, Doctor Andrei Siminov.

The Is candidates representing the larges and the most competitive major at the Broad School the Bachelor of Arts of Finance.

Candidates please rise and remain standing.

Dean Spreng, on behalf of the most excellent faculty of the Department of Finance, I am honored and delighted to present to you this outstanding candidate.

The future leaders of tomorrow, for the conferral of the degree.

You may be seated.

Among our graduates today, there are several whose exceptional achievements merit special recognition.

Ann Crain director of Undergraduate Student Engagement will continue our student recognition.

Thank you.

Dean Spreng.

Today we pay tribute today to graduates who have the distinction of maintaining the highest grade point average in the class, thereby earning a 4.0 grade point average.

Names of the 4.0 students present at this ceremony on the screens behind me, to be eligible for a 4.0, at least 60 credits for the degree must be earned in residence at Michigan Stat University with numerical grades by the close of the preceding semester.

This honor is designated by the green, white, and gold braided cord worn with the academic robe.

This semester, 58 students qualified, all earned a grade point average of a 4.0.

Students please rise and remain standing to accept our congratulations.

Award recipients.

You should be proud of your outstanding academic records that honor you and the University.

On the behalf of your classmates, the faculty, administration and trustees of the University, I congratulate you and wish you the best.

Please be seated.

Students who participate i and fulfill the requirements of the Honors College by completing enriched programs of study are identified as graduatin with Honors College Distinction.

These graduates wear a white collar style with the HC designation.

Will all students who are graduating as members of the Honors College please stan and accept our congratulations.

We award the University's distinction for a high honor to student who attain grade point averages between 3.98 and 4.0.

University honor is awarded to students who have earned grade poin averages between 3.88 and 3.98.

The gold cord added to the academic robes designates these honors with all students who are graduating with high honor and with honor.

Please stan and accept our congratulations.

The Broad College Student Senate plays a vital role in enhancing the student experience by sponsoring initiatives tha support the professional growth of our students.

Alongside them the Road Leaders Council brings together leaders from across our registered student organizations to strengthen collaboration and expand opportunities for students to grow.

More broadly, our registered student organizations, led and supported by passionate students across the college, shaped the community of broad and meaningful ways.

At this time, we invite all students who participated in Broad Student Senate, Road Leaders Council, or on a registered student organization in any capacity to please stand and be recognized for your contributions to our community.

And in recognition of Michigan State's ongoing commitment to education abroad.

I ask all graduate who participated in an education and abroad program while at MSU to stand that we may recognize you.

Graduates who completed a semester long education abroad experience wear a white stole with education abroad designation symbolizing their commitment to global learning and the perspectives they bring back to our community.

Congratulations to all Education Abroad graduates.

All first generation graduates, please stan and accept our congratulations.

We are so very grateful you selected.

We are so very grateful you selected Michigan State University and so very proud of your achievements.

Graduates, if you transferred to Michigan State University to complete and earn your bachelorette degree, please rise and accept our gratitude and congratulations.

On behalf of the president who has delegated to him the authority of the State of Michigan vested in the Board of Trustees, I confer upon all of you the degrees t which you have been recommended, with all the rights and distinctions to which they entitle you, according to custom.

You may now move your tassel from the right side of your caps to the left.

Congratulations, MSU alumni.

This act represents the conclusion of a great achievement and marks the beginning o a lifetime of dedicated service.

It is an achievement worthy of celebration.

And we are here this afternoon to celebrate that 1199 of you have completed the academic program of your choice in the Broad College of Business.

From this day forward, you are forever a Spartan.

You join a family of nearly 90,000 alumni and over 500,000 Spartans worldwide.

While this commencement celebrates your great achievement, it also marks the start of a new phase of your lives.

We look forward to your continued achievements as you positively represent Spartan Nation.

Congratulations MSU alumni!

We have now come to that wonderful momen that makes this day so special.

The awarding of the diplomas, Mr.

Jamie Paisley and this Meliss Ingless, will announce the names of the graduates as they pause in the center of the stage.

We ask guests to be considerate in applauding for your graduates whose names are read so that each graduate's name can be heard and appropriately recognized.

We ask all degree recipients to return to your seats following the presentation of your diploma.

For the remainder of the ceremony, I now invite all of you to stand and join in singing the MSU fight song as our graduates are escorted to the stage to receive their symbolic diploma.

(MSU Fight Song performance) (Conferral of degrees reading graduate names) As we conclude today's ceremony, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all our graduates.

On behalf of the entire faculty and staff at proud, we are proud of you and excited to see that.

You will see all that you will accomplish in the future.

Congratulations and go green!

Go white!

Light.

Join us in singing.

The alma mater.

(Singing and performance of MSU Alma Mater) (Music Playing) Remember?

(Music Playing)