Lincoln University of Missouri Honors Class of 2025 at Commencement Ceremonies

Lincoln University awarded associate, bachelor’s, master’s and specialist degrees on Saturday, May 10, 2025.

Lincoln University of Missouri celebrated the graduation of the Class of 2025 on Saturday, May 10, 2025. The commencement ceremonies took place in the Robert and Charlene Mitchell Auditorium in Richardson Fine Arts Center on Lincoln’s campus. 

The university, which holds distinction with the U.S. Department of Education as a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), awarded associate, bachelor’s, master’s and specialist degrees. Click here to view and download the event program.

“Class of 2025, you’re ready,” said Lincoln University President John B. Moseley during his address to graduates. “You leave here equipped with your Lincoln University education and the tenacity you’ve grown and shown along the way. I’m proud of each and every one of you.”  

A ceremony for the graduates of the Department of Humanities and Communication, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Science, Technology and Mathematics and Liberal Studies were recognized at 9 a.m. View the morning ceremony on YouTube. 

At 1 p.m., graduates of the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, School of Business, School of Education and School of Nursing were honored. View the afternoon ceremony on YouTube. 

This year’s featured commencement speaker was Dr. Harold L. Martin Sr., chancellor emeritus of North Carolina A&T State University. Martin retired in 2024 after serving 15 years as chancellor, making him the longest-serving leader in the University of North Carolina System at the time. He was the first alumnus to hold the position at N.C. A&T.

“As graduates of this historic institution, you carry with you a legacy, a resilience, excellence and purpose,” said Dr. Martin during the keynote address. “The world needs you now more than ever.”

Throughout his address, Dr. Martin shared four guiding principles with graduates to help guide their days ahead:  

• Own your greatness.
• Turn obstacles into opportunities.
• Lift as you climb.
• Be unapologetically bold, excellent and brilliant.

“HBCUs like Lincoln University have taught us that Black excellence is not just an ideal — it is a movement,” Dr. Harold said. “And you, graduates, are the next generation of leaders who will carry that torch forward.”

The weekend concluded with the 4 p.m. nursing pinning ceremony, a time-honored tradition. During the ceremony, graduates of the Lincoln nursing program were formally inducted into the nursing profession

 “The world is waiting, and the Blue Tiger ambush is ready to see just how far you will go,” President Moseley said. “Congratulations.”

View more photos from the morning ceremony and afternoon ceremony on the Lincoln University of Missouri Flickr page.