The University of Dubuque to Hold Spring Commencement Ceremonies

DUBUQUE, Iowa - This spring, the University of Dubuque will recognize and celebrate the academic accomplishments of undergraduate, graduate, and seminary students with two commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 2, 2026.

The University of Dubuque Spring Commencement will be held at 1:00 p.m. on campus in the Chlapaty Recreation and Wellness Center. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. Seating is not ticketed. Thirty-eight graduate students and 233 undergraduate students are eligible to participate in the ceremony. One additional undergraduate student will earn his degree posthumously.

For those unable to attend in person, the ceremony will also be livestreamed at www.facebook.com/UDubuque and www.youtube.com/UDBQMedia.

Jeanne L. Rupert, DO, PhD, founding dean and chief academic officer for UD's John and Alice Butler College of Osteopathic Medicine (proposed, applicant seeking accreditation), will deliver the commencement address, titled "The Path of Courage."

With a deep commitment to education and the osteopathic profession, Rupert joined UD in spring 2025 as the founding dean and chief academic officer for the proposed new four-year medical school that will address the regional shortage of physicians, particularly in rural areas. UD officials are working through the steps of accreditation with the goal of welcoming its first class in 2028.

UD's Mission of excellence in academic inquiry, professional preparation, and formation of the whole person, along with serving people and communities, is a natural fit with the osteopathic philosophy that emphasizes the unity of body, mind, and spirit in individuals.

Rupert completed her bachelor of arts in Spanish at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania. She went on to complete a master of arts in economics and a doctor of philosophy in history at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and taught Latin American studies at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus. Called by an ideal of service to others, Rupert returned to school, completing her doctor of osteopathic medicine degree and residency in family medicine at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens, Ohio.

She pursued a career in family medicine in a variety of settings but always emphasized providing care for rural and underserved populations. Rupert has worked with osteopathic medical schools as a faculty member and administrator in California, Washington, and Arkansas. Her proudest career achievement was the establishment of new residency programs in a rural community north of Seattle, which have continued to thrive and educate family medicine and internal medicine doctors for the state of Washington.

Rupert is delighted to make her home in Dubuque and has enthusiastically joined community activities such as Rotary Club of Dubuque, Envision 2030, and the Dubuque Area Writers Guild (DAWG).

The University of Dubuque Theological Seminary Commencement will be held at 9:30 a.m. on campus in Blades Chapel, Blades Hall. Doors will open at 9:00 a.m. Seating is not ticketed. Twenty-nine seminary students are eligible to participate in the ceremony, with 20 earning degrees and nine earning certificates.

For those unable to attend in person, the ceremony will also be livestreamed at www.facebook.com/DubuqueSeminary.

Rev. Bradley J. Longfield, PhD, professor of church history at UDTS, will deliver the commencement address, titled "God's People."

Longfield was called to UDTS in 1992 and will step down from his position this summer. In addition to his service as a member of the faculty, Longfield served as vice president of the university and dean of the seminary from 1998 to 2016. Prior to coming to UDTS, he served as a pastor and taught at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. A minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA), he regularly preaches and teaches in congregations.

Longfield earned a bachelor of arts, magna cum laude, from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, a master of divinity, cum laude, from Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut, and the doctor of philosophy in history of Christianity from Duke University in Durham. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, was a James B. Duke Fellow, and received the William L. Lomax Teaching and Advising Award from the University of Dubuque.

Longfield is the author of the award-winning book, The Presbyterian Controversy: Fundamentalists, Modernists, and Moderates. He has also written Presbyterians and American Culture: A History and co-edited The Secularization of the Academy. Longfield has authored numerous chapters of books and articles and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Presbyterian History.

Perhaps most noteworthy, Longfield has taught hundreds of students in lay, master's, and doctoral programs. He has a reputation as an excellent lecturer and seminar leader who seeks to nurture a critical appreciation of the Christian tradition and a love for Christ and the Church in his students.

Longfield and his wife, Linda, have been blessed with three children and five grandchildren.

For more commencement information, please visit www.dbq.edu/commencement.