'The World Needs You'

'The World Needs You'

Theater Innovator Mary McCann Asks Ohio Wesleyan's Class of 2026, 'If Not You, Then Who?'

DELAWARE, Ohio - Ohio Wesleyan University celebrated its 182nd commencement ceremony May 9, with actor Mary McCann, co-founder of the Atlantic Theater Company, assuring OWU's 2026 graduates that they are "ready to meet this moment."

"[T]his is exactly what Ohio Wesleyan has prepared you for," said McCann, who received an OWU Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree during the ceremony. "You have learned to think creatively and critically, how to sit with complexity and grow through uncertainty. You are resilient and thoughtful. You are ready to work, to lead, and ready to meet this moment not with fear but with purpose. …

"Start the company. Write the TV show. Build the technology that serves humanity. Strengthen your communities. Create the life that you imagine," said McCann, who studied Economics and Theatre at Ohio Wesleyan for two years before helping to build a theater company and acting school that have shaped American theater for more than four decades.

"The world needs you - your voice, your imagination, your leadership, and especially your humanity," McCann told the OWU graduates. "Be the kind of person that you know people want to work with. Better yet - be the kind of person that you know people want to build a life with. And remember, if not you … then who?"

'We Must Return It'

Graduating senior Jason Harris of Columbus, Ohio, also spoke to the Class of 2026, encouraging them to keep investing in themselves and sharing their talents with the world.

"Wow, four years - just like that," said Harris, a Sport Management major who plans to pursue a Master of Sport Management degree from Florida State University in the fall. "They tell you to hold onto these moments, to cherish every memory, because college days swiftly pass. And now we understand exactly what that means.

"Ohio Wesleyan is an institution that reflects the effort you put into it," Harris said. "But more importantly, it's a place where you learn how to invest in yourself. And I truly believe we are a generation defined by return on investment. So now comes the question - what do we do with that investment? We must return it.

"We must become the change we want to see in a world that is rapidly evolving right before our eyes," he said. "We cannot underestimate the impact this class has. … We are the generation. We - yes, even the ones who think I'm not talking about you - we are the ones who will create what comes next. … Class of 2026, wherever life takes you, trust that you have what it takes to succeed because you all do."

'Stay Curious'

Ohio Wesleyan President Matt vandenBerg, Ed.D., also addressed the graduates and their families, congratulating the Class of 2026 on the transformative work they completed during their college careers.

"Today, we pause to celebrate what you achieved," vandenBerg said, "but more importantly, who you became while achieving it. …

"Self-discovery - that gritty, honest, uncomfortable work - is the 'so what' of your entire Ohio Wesleyan experience. It transformed your time here from a transaction into a transition - from curiosity into conviction.

"We haven't just asked you to pass tests," vandenBerg continued. "We've challenged you to answer the only questions that truly matter: 'Who are you, and what do you stand for when the world starts to bend?' We did that work with you because the world doesn't need more people who 'found themselves' once in 2026 and stopped. It needs people who stay curious, who stay humble, who stay present.

"Our motto - which speaks to our soul as a university - has trained your soul as a leader. 'In your light, we shall see the light.'"

Celebrating Excellence

Nearly 350 summer, fall, and spring graduates received their diplomas during the two-hour outdoor ceremony, with eight members achieving perfect 4.0 grade point averages:

• Lucy Calef of Worthington, Ohio
• Jack Gatchel of Nevada, Ohio
• Anna Haines of Blacklick, Ohio
• Maddie Hoyt of Etna, Ohio
• Josie Martin of Circleville, Ohio
• Pedro Oliveira Figueiredo of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
• Annika Pardee of Johnstown, Ohio
• Isaac Ward of Circleville, Ohio

In addition to recognizing the graduates, Ohio Wesleyan also honored three outstanding faculty members with special awards for their teaching and scholarship. Provost Karlyn Crowley, Ph.D., presented the 2026 awards to:

• Hanliang Guo, Ph.D., assistant professor of Mathematics and Computer Science. Guo, who joined the university in 2022, received the Sherwood Dodge Shankland Award for Encouragement of Teachers. "This award recognizes faculty who push students - and help them persist," Crowley said. "Professor Guo models real systems - from traffic flow to machine learning - so students see how math works in the world."
• Vicki DiLillo, Ph.D., professor of Psychology. DiLillo, who joined Ohio Wesleyan in 2004, earned the Bishop Herbert Welch Meritorious Teaching Award. "This award recognizes teaching that lasts," Crowley said. "In Professor DiLillo's courses, students study health psychology and behavior change-how habits form, and how to change them. ... She connects evidence to action."
• Paul Dean, Ph.D., professor of Sociology and Anthropology. Dean, who joined the university in 2012, received the Bishop Herbert Welch Award for Scholarly or Artistic Achievement. "This award honors work that matters," Crowley said. "Professor Dean studies inequality and first-generation students - what it takes to move across class and culture. ... He makes the structure visible."

Giving Back

President vandenBerg concluded the 182nd commencement ceremony with Ohio Wesleyan's traditional benediction, encouraging OWU's newest alumni to share their knowledge and compassion with a world in need.

"If, here at Ohio Wesleyan, you have found freedom, take it with you into the world," vandenBerg said. "If, here at Ohio Wesleyan, you have found peace, go and share it with others. If, here at Ohio Wesleyan, you have found some portion of truth, go and seek it all the more. If, here at Ohio Wesleyan, you have dreamed dreams, help one another, and those dreams may come true. If, here at Ohio Wesleyan, you have known love, give some back to a bruised and hurting world."

Ohio Wesleyan's commencement ceremony will be archived online for on-demand viewing at owu.edu/stream. Learn more about the event at owu.edu/commencement.

Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives" and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "Best Colleges" lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.