SSU to graduate 1,958 May 23-24, honor Carstons
Sonoma State University will bestow degrees and certifications upon 1,958 graduates during the university’s 2026 Commencement ceremonies, to be held May 23 and 24 at Green Music Center on th
Sonoma State University will bestow degrees and certifications upon 1,958 graduates during the university’s 2026 Commencement ceremonies, to be held May 23 and 24 at Green Music Center on the SSU campus.
SSU’s three colleges will hold five ceremonies over the two Commencement days. The College of Science, Technology, and Business will have ceremonies at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, May 23. The College of Education, Counseling, and Ethnic Studies will hold its single ceremony at 5 p.m. the same day.
On Sunday, May 24, the College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts will have ceremonies at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
In all, the university will award 1,623 bachelor’s degrees, 187 master’s degrees, and 148 credentials over the two days of ceremonies.
Sonoma State also will bestow honorary degrees on two longtime North Bay community leaders and arts supporters.
Gayle and Arnold Carston will be jointly awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters at the 9 a.m. Sunday, May 24 Commencement ceremony for the College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts. The honorary degree was approved by the California State University Board of Trustees.
The Carstons, who own and operate the Santa Rosa businesses World of Carpets and ProSource, are among the North Bay’s most loyal supporters of the arts. For decades, they have been patrons to the Green Music Center at SSU, the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, and the Santa Rosa Symphony. They were among the earliest enthusiasts of what became the Green Music Center, and in 2024 expressed their continued commitment with a $1-million gift to support the GMC and student scholarships.
Their philanthropic legacy at SSU also includes the Rochelle Fostmeier Scholarship and the Carston Family Scholarship, both designed to support student success.