Albertus Magnus College Announces Plans for 103rd Commencement Ceremony

New Haven, Conn., April 2, 2026 –Albertus Magnus College continues to celebrate its 100th year, College President, Dr. Marc M. Camille, will confer approximately 355 undergraduate and graduate degrees to the Class of 2026 - The Centennial Class - during the College’s annual Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 17, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Honoring a tradition that dates back to the College’s founding in 1925, the Albertus Commencement ceremony will once again take place in front of the iconic Rosary Hall, the original building purchased by Dominican Sisters when founding Albertus. In honor of the College’s Centennial, President Camille will be the Commencement Speaker at this year’s ceremony.   

“Throughout my nine years serving as Albertus President, Commencement has proven to be the most treasured and meaningful day of the academic year for me,” said Dr. Camille. “It represents the culmination of perseverance, purpose, and promise - when our graduates, surrounded by their families and friends who have championed and supported them, step forward to claim the degrees they have earned through resilience and determination. Presiding over the ceremony is a humbling privilege, and to be able to personally shake the hand and congratulate each graduate as they cross the stage is for me a great source of anticipation and joy."   

This year’s Commencement marks a defining milestone in the life of Albertus Magnus College. The Albertus Class of 2026, The Centennial Class, as it processes during the 100th year, also ushers in the second century for the College. As the first class to launch the next 100 years, they stand at the intersection of legacy and possibility, carrying forward a century of faith, scholarship, and service, while boldly shaping the future for Albertus and the communities they will lead.   

Another Albertus Commencement tradition is the awarding of Honorary Degrees to distinguished individuals whose life and work embody the College’s mission, recognizing them for their inspiring, values-based leadership. The 2026 Albertus Honorary Degree recipients will be:   

Senator Martin M. Looney, a lifelong resident of New Haven, is serving his seventeenth term in the Connecticut State Senate, representing New Haven and Hamden. A dedicated public servant, he has served in the Connecticut State Senate since 1993, where his colleagues have elected him President Pro Tempore, the General Assembly’s highest-ranking position, for six consecutive terms. His distinguished career is marked by an unwavering commitment to civil justice, labor rights, and healthcare advocacy. His leadership has earned him numerous recognitions, including the 2023 Legislative Beacon of Light Award and the 2025 Children’s Champion Award. An accomplished scholar, Senator Looney was a National Woodrow Wilson Fellow and holds degrees from Fairfield University and the University of Connecticut School of Law. In addition to his legislative responsibilities, he is a partner in the law firm of Keyes and Looney and is a respected educator at the University of New Haven, Quinnipiac University, and the Quinnipiac University School of Law.   

Louis F. Tagliatela Jr., is principal for Franklin Communities, a family-owned business that was founded by his grandfather in 1917. Franklin Communities owns and operates more than 1,250 apartment units in New Haven County, where Mr. Tagliatela oversees all new and major construction projects and initiatives. Together with his brother Stephen, and sister Tricia, he played a central role in the construction and development of the Saybrook Point Resort and Saybrook Point Marina. More recently, he completed Canal Crossing in Hamden, a 393-unit luxury and affordable housing community that received six HOBI awards from the National Association of Home Builders. In 2018, he was honored with the Hall of Fame/Lifetime Achievement by the Connecticut Home Builder and Remodelers Association. A longtime supporter of Albertus Magnus College and member of the Albertus Board of Trustees since 2010, Mr. Tagliatela and his family made possible the Tagliatela School of Business and Leadership, named in their honor.   

In addition to bestowing honorary degrees, this year’s Albertus Commencement ceremony will mark the seventh presentation of the St. Dominic Medal, an honor that recognizes an individual or organization whose mission, values, and practices, signify the College’s Four Dominican Pillars: Study, Pray, Community, and Service. For 2026, there are two recipients of this prestigious honor:   

Friends Center for Children provides early care and education for children from three months through kindergarten age across three, and soon to be four, sites in New Haven. Its year-round, full-time program offers a child-centered, values-based curriculum rooted in the Quaker values of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equity, and Stewardship, and guided by a mission to educate children, empower families, inspire teachers, engage community, embrace diversity, and embody equity. Founded in 2007 in the New Haven Quaker Meetinghouse serving just four children, Friends Center now serves 168 children and will grow to 280 when its fourth campus opens in June 2026. Its work spans three interconnected areas: direct programming for children; systems-change efforts to strengthen the early care and education sector in Connecticut and nationwide; and innovation initiatives that expand access to high-quality learning while increasing teacher compensation. Through first-in-the-nation programs such as the Free Teacher Housing Initiative and the Emotional Well-being Program, Friends Center is advancing equity both within the classroom and across the broader early education system. Accepting on behalf of Friends Center for Children is its Chief Executive Officer, Allyx Schiavone.   

Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) envisions a future where all children are free from school shootings and other acts of violence. As a national nonprofit organization, SHP’s mission is to educate and empower youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities. Its life-saving, evidence-informed “Know the Signs” programs, teach how to recognize when someone may be in crisis, socially isolated, or at risk of harming themselves or others, and how to take action to get needed help. In addition to its prevention programs, SHP advances school safety, youth mental health, and responsible gun ownership through nonpartisan partnerships and bipartisan policy efforts at both the state and federal levels. SHP is led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, and who have transformed their grief into a national movement for change. Accepting on behalf of the organization is Nicole Hockley, co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise.