More than 600 Minnesota State Moorhead students to graduate May 7 & 8

More than 600 Minnesota State Moorhead students to graduate May 7 & 8

Moorhead, Minn., April 23, 2026 - Minnesota State Moorhead will award degrees to more than 600 students during its spring commencement programs, including more than 165 graduate students. The graduate programs commencement ceremony will be on Thursday, May 7, at 6 p.m., and the undergraduate programs commencement ceremony will be on Friday, May 8, at 2 p.m. Both ceremonies will take place in the university's Nemzek Fieldhouse.

Graduate Programs Commencement Ceremony
Thursday, May 7 | 6 p.m. | Nemzek Fieldhouse

Superintendent of Moorhead Area Public Schools Dr. Brandon Lunak will be the commencement speaker at the graduate programs ceremony. He received a K-12 principal and superintendent's license as well as a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Minnesota State Moorhead. 

Lunak taught physical education and health before serving as superintendent at Emerado (N.D.) Public School District and Waubun-Ogema-White Earth Public Schools, where he led the district through the construction of a preschool addition to the elementary site with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Health and Human Rights Services. In 2014, he joined Moorhead Area Public Schools as the assistant superintendent of finance and operations and became superintendent in 2018.

The graduate student speaker is Brittany Tischmak, a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) graduate, who also earned a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Moorhead. She will talk about strength and determination in the face of difficult times. Brittany teaches high school English at Simley Senior High School in Inver Grove Heights. She also teaches concurrent enrollment courses for Inver Hills Community College and is a mentor teacher for incoming staff. Her parents are Debbie and the late Darrell Tischmak, Sauk Rapids, Minn.

Undergraduate Programs Commencement Ceremony

Friday, May 8 | 2 p.m. | Nemzek Fieldhouse

Elementary education alumnus Curt Slater will be the commencement speaker at the undergraduate programs ceremony. While at Moorhead State, Curt was a member of the men's basketball team and served on the Education Leadership Team, experiences that helped shape his passion for teamwork, leadership, and service. He has dedicated more than 34 years to public education, serving as a paraprofessional, teacher, dean of students, associate principal, and principal. In 2018, he was named National Distinguished Principal of the Year.

The undergraduate student speaker is broadcast journalism major Selah Jacoway, Burnsville, Minn. She is a reporter, anchor, and postproduction manager for the university's award-winning Campus News, a student-produced television newscast that routinely wins the student news magazine category in the Society of Professional Journalists annual Mark of Excellence Region 6 Awards. Selah is also an award-winning journalist - a two-time recipient of the Eric Sevareid Award of Merit recipient, a one-time First Place recipient, and the winner of a Crystal Pillar Award. Selah is also a multimedia journalist and a weekend anchor for Valley News Live.

The university will also award an honorary doctorate during the undergraduate ceremony on Friday, May 8.

• Both ceremonies will be streamed live on the website https://www.mnstate.edu/registrar/graduation/
• Driving directions to campus: https://www.mnstate.edu/visitors/maps/directions/
• Campus map and parking: https://www.mnstate.edu/maps/

MSUM is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible event. If you need a reasonable accommodation to attend, please contact Chuck Eade at [email protected]. You will be contacted individually to discuss your request.