Centre announces speakers for 2026 Commencement ceremonies
Centre is pleased to announce that the 2026 Commencement speaker will be Nayef H. Sahmat, President of Wofford College. Sahmat has strong Centre ties as he was the Frank B. and Virginia B. Hower Associate Professor of Government and International Studies and served as an associate dean until his departure in 2009.
The 203rd Centre Commencement Ceremony will take place May 24 at 10 a.m. in Andy Frye Stadium.
On May 23, Centre will hold a Baccalaureate ceremony for the Class of 2026 students and loved ones in Newlin Hall at the Norton Center for the Arts. Centre Chaplain Rev. Jason Crosby will deliver the address at this celebration on Saturday.
Nayef H. Samhat
Nayef H. Samhat remembers his 13 years as a Centre professor fondly. He taught International Studies and Government classes from 1996 to 2009, before taking the position of provost and professor of political science and international studies at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. In 2013, he joined Wofford College as its 11th president.
“Centre is a special place,” he said. “The friends, colleagues and students I remember to this day, reflect the wonderful experience and strong community it inspires.”
Samhat has overseen a record-breaking fundraising campaign at Wofford, along with multiple renovation and construction projects around campus. He has announced his departure from Wofford at the conclusion of the 2025-26 academic year.
A native of Detroit, Samhat holds a bachelor’s in international affairs from The George Washington’s School of International and Public Affairs, a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University, and a doctorate in political science from Northwestern University.
Throughout his career, he’s always felt connected to the Centre community. In 2018, Samhat returned to the College as a speaker at Opening Convocation, which welcomes the new class and returning students. His daughter, Leila Samhat, also graduated from Centre in 2016.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to come back to Centre,” he said. “It’s a place that changed our lives.”
Rev. Jason Crosby ‘01
As a third-generation minister, spiritual leadership runs through Jason Crosby’s blood.
The 2001 Centre graduate took his first Religious Studies class at Centre with Dr. Eric Mount, Nelson D. and Mary McDowell Rodes Professor Emeritus of Religion. He credits that class with helping him develop the necessary skills to critically examine religious texts and deepen his spiritual practice.
Crosby obtained his master’s of divinity from Vanderbilt University Divinity School. He truly embraced his calling to spiritual leadership as a pastor in Battle Creek, Michigan. The congregation was about 80 people, roughly half of whom were older, longtime members, while the other half were refugees who had recently arrived in the U.S. from Myanmar (Burma).
This experience taught him a lot about his own capabilities, providing spiritual guidance to others, and sparked a lifelong passion for creating welcoming, spiritual spaces for people of all backgrounds and religions.
Crosby has also worked as a community organizer with the Interfaith council for Peace and Justice in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was a project coordinator with Kentucky Refugee Ministries. He currently serves on the board of directors for Kentucky Refugee Ministries and has offered his professional opinion to multiple media outlets in Louisville, Kentucky, as a consulted expert.
“Centre has had a profound impact on the lives of everyone who is a part of this community, including myself,” Crosby said. “I’m eager to reflect on my appreciation for this place with graduating seniors at Baccalaureate. I hope they carry that gratitude with them throughout their lives.”
