Dallas Ceremony
Saturday, December 13, 2025 | 9 a.m.
Kitty Magee Arena of Pioneer Hall | Denton, Texas
Presiding
Monica Christopher
Dallas Campus President, Texas Woman's University
A Message from the Dallas Campus President
Dear Graduates, Families, and Friends,
Commencement is more than a ceremony it is a milestone that reflects perseverance, purpose, and the promise of what lies ahead. A day where we celebrate the culmination of years of hard work and the beginning of new journeys that will shape our communities and our world.
At Texas Woman’s University-Dallas, our mission is deeply rooted in preparing graduates to serve and lead in one of the nation’s most dynamic urban centers. Our campus stands in the heart of the Southwestern Medical District, where innovation, discovery, and care intersect. It is here that our students learn not only from classrooms and labs, but also from the vibrant city around us. Commencement reminds us that the knowledge and skills gained at TWU Dallas are not meant to remain within our walls they are gifts to be shared with the Dallas-Fort Worth community and beyond.
Each graduate crossing the stage represents a story of determination and a future of possibility. Whether you are entering the workforce, advancing your career, or pursuing further study, you carry forward TWU’s mission to cultivate leaders who embody excellence, service, and grit. You are the next generation of health professionals, educators, innovators, and advocates who will strengthen the very fabric of Dallas and make an impact far beyond it.
As we gather with loved ones, faculty, staff, and community partners to honor your achievements, let us also celebrate the ways you will contribute to the workforce, uplift our neighborhoods, and inspire others to DREAM BIG. Commencement is a reminder that TWU Dallas is not just a campus but rather a vital part of this city’s future, and you are now among its proudest ambassadors.
May this moment be the spark that propels you forward with confidence, courage, and an enduring commitment to serve.
With Pioneer Pride and Dallas Spirit,
Monica Christopher
President, Texas Woman’s University – Dallas
The Ceremony
*Audience standing if able.
The Procession
The Banner Bearers
The Mace Bearer
The Presidential Party
Members of the Board of Regents
The Officers of the Administration
The Deans of the Colleges
The Marshals
The Faculty
The Candidates for Degrees
*Processional
Carter Biggers, D.M.A., Director
TWU Commencement Band
Pomp and Circumstance by Edward Elgar
“La Morisque” from The Danserye by Tielman Susato
*The Star Spangled Banner
by Francis Scott Key
Anna Merrill
Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
*Alma Mater
by Mamie Walker, Class of 1917
Anna Merrill
Hail Alma Mater! Hail! Joyous we sing;
Voices atune with love shall loudly ring.
Thy students sing today praises to thee,
Hail! Texas Woman's University.
On broad and rolling plains, 'neath Texas skies,
There, crowned with majesty, thy buildings rise.
Thou hast with purpose new lighted our way.
Hail! Alma Mater! Hear our songs today.
Welcome
Monica Christopher
Introduction of the Commencement Speaker
Monica Christopher
Commencement Address
The Honorable Jennifer Staubach Gates
Former City of Dallas Council Member
Introduction to Degree Awards
Angela Christine Bauer, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Recognition of Academic Distinction
Dr. Bauer
Certification of Candidates for Baccalaureate Degrees
Deans of the Colleges
Juliet Spencer, Ph.D., Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Catrine Tudor-Locke, Ph.D., Dean, College of Health Sciences
Brigitte Vittrup, Ph.D., Dean, College of Professional Education
Stephanie Woods, Ph.D., Dean, College of Nursing
Rama Yelkur, D.B.A., Dean, Merrilee Alexander Kick College of Business and Entrepreneurship
Conferring of Baccalaureate Degrees
Monica Christopher
Certification of Candidates for Graduate Degrees
Carolyn Kapinus, Ph.D.
Dean of the Graduate School
Conferring of Graduate Degrees
Monica Christopher
Greetings to New Alumni
Wandaliz Turner, M.A.
Director of Development, Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership, TWU Alumna
Concluding Remarks
Monica Christopher
*To the Texas Woman’s University
by Jane Ward Pool, Class of 1946
Anna Merrill
To the Texas Woman’s University
forever to be true;
for everything you stand for,
maroon and white to you.
The friends we’ve made while learning here
will last our whole lives through.
To the students and our school
we pledge ourselves anew.
*Recessional
Daughters of Texas March
by John Philip Sousa
Performed by the TWU Commencement Band
Conducted by Dr. Biggers
Page last updated 3:59 PM, November 7, 2025