A Final Walk Into Commencement

The regalia feels familiar. The processional music begins. Graduates wait anxiously to hear their names called as families search the arena for a first glimpse from the stands.

For many faculty members, commencement has long represented a familiar rhythm of academic life, celebrating students, watching families cheer from the audience, and returning each year to mark another milestone.

But for several University of Houston-Clear Lake faculty members attending this spring's ceremonies, the moment carries a different weight. Alongside the celebration of graduating students comes the realization that this will also be one of their final commencements as educators, mentors, and colleagues at the university they helped shape over many years.

"This will probably be the last time I see all my faculty together," said Larry Rohde of the College of Science and Engineering , who spent 27 years at UHCL. "There is the community of the faculty. We have all been here for many years."

As faculty gathered backstage and prepared for the ceremonies to begin, conversations drifted between memories, future plans, and reflections on students whose lives intersected with their own classrooms, labs, and offices over decades of teaching.

For Kathleen Garland of the College of Business , commencement has always been about more than the stage itself. During her 20 years at UHCL, she often viewed the ceremony through the eyes of students and their families.

"For them, this is sometimes once in a lifetime," Garland said. "For so many of these families, it's the first time in the family. It's hard to put into words what this means to me."

Faculty members described commencement not simply as an ending, but as a continuation of the work students will carry forward long after graduation.

"The future belongs to those who come after us," said Kevin Wooten of the College of Business, who spent nearly five decades connected to UHCL.

Across generations of students, faculty members said the most rewarding moments often came long after a semester ended. Some spoke about former students returning years later to reconnect, share career accomplishments, or simply say thank you. Others reflected on watching students grow into professionals who once doubted whether they belonged in higher education at all.

For many of the retiring faculty members, that purpose extended beyond teaching course material. They described a university culture centered on accessibility, empathy, and helping students believe they could succeed.

"A real love of teaching, a love for our specific student body, tremendous empathy and compassion for our students," Garland said. "This ongoing commitment to meeting them where they are and lifting them up."

Yvette Bendeck of the College of Business said relationships with students often extended well beyond the classroom.

"If they emailed me at one o'clock in the morning and I was awake, I would answer," Bendeck said. "I was very accessible."

During her 38 years at UHCL, Bendeck witnessed the university's transition into a four-year institution and helped support enrollment growth as the university expanded opportunities for students.

"Being part of the university's transition into a four-year institution is something I'm very proud of," she said.

For Lisa Jones of the College of Education , commencement now carries a very different meaning than it did earlier in her career.

"My very first commencement as a professor was exciting because I had never been on that side," Jones said. "I remember just the year before that I got hooded as a doctoral student."

Now, after decades in education, she sees commencement as both a conclusion and a beginning.

"It's an ending and also a beginning at the same time for the graduates and their families," Jones said. "And then thinking about how much hopefully I had a positive impact on that journey for those students."

Jones said commencement often brings back memories of the challenges students overcame and the growth they experienced throughout their time at UHCL.

Several faculty members reflected on the resilience of UHCL students over the years, particularly students balancing careers, families, financial pressures, and nontraditional educational journeys. Rohde, who described himself as a former nontraditional student, said helping students believe they could compete and succeed remained central to his work.

"I've always worked towards creating an environment in biology and biotech that improves the chances of my students to be able to compete," Rohde said.

That work eventually helped support the creation of UHCL's biotechnology graduate program , where Rohde served as the program's first chair. Over the years, he said many former students returned to share stories about careers, graduate school acceptances, and professional accomplishments.

"And I've seen many of them go on to get PhDs from very prestigious universities," Rohde said. "It's really fun to see their success. I love it."

Even as retirement approaches, several faculty members said the relationships built with students would remain long after leaving campus.

For others, commencement itself remained one of the most meaningful parts of academic life.

"Every time I've been here, I've had students that I worked with and helped," Wooten said. "To see them reach their goals, that really is a remarkable achievement."

Long after the final recessional ends and the last commencement photo is taken, the influence of these faculty members will continue through the students they taught, encouraged, challenged, and inspired throughout their careers.

For graduates, commencement marks the beginning of what comes next. For UHCL's retiring faculty members, it offers a final opportunity to reflect on decades of purpose, community, and the students who now carry that legacy forward.