Spring 2026 Ceremony
Penn State Altoona's spring 2026 commencement ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 9, at 10:00 a.m. in the Arena of the Adler Athletic Complex at Penn State Altoona. The ceremony will also be live-streamed on this site.
Graduates: Visit the Commencement Day Details page to learn more about the ceremony.
A reception sponsored by the Penn State Altoona Alumni Society will immediately follow the ceremony in the Auxiliary gym.
Campus Map
Find your way around campus using our Interactive Commencement Map.
Tickets
At this time, we don't anticipate that a ticketing system will be necessary for the commencement ceremony at the Adler Arena, but we will evaluate the need based on graduate numbers.
#PSUgrad—Share the experience!
Soon-to-be graduates and families of soon-to-be graduates: Tell the world about your tremendous accomplishments. Share your photos and thoughts, and include the #PSUgrad hashtag on your favorite social media platforms.
Professional Photography
To commemorate this milestone occasion, a professional photo will be taken of each graduate being congratulated by the chancellor. No pre-orders will be taken. Photos can be viewed and ordered after commencement by visiting the Film Center's website.
To avoid congestion and maintain decorum during the ceremony, we ask that family and friends refrain from approaching the platform when taking pictures or using a video camera.
Flowers
The Commencement Group will have rose bouquets available for purchase at the ceremony. To browse the selection and pre-order, please visit the Commencement Group's website.
Commencement Speaker
Gary M. Brito
General, U.S. Army (retired)
General (retired) Gary Brito is a distinguished four-star U.S. Army leader whose thirty-eight-year career reflects exceptional strategic vision, operational excellence, and enterprise transformation at the highest levels of government. He is recognized for leading complex, mission-critical institutions through training, modernization, and transformation to adapt to rapid shifts in the global environment. Brito is a proven architect of large-scale organizational change and risk management.
Brito is now president of The Brito Group, LLC, providing consulting and strategic advisory services. He brings deep expertise in governance, coaching, strategy, organizational transformation, workforce development, and high-stakes operational decision-making.
As Commanding General of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command—a command that drove the Army’s institutional engine for training, education, and development—Brito served as the CEO responsible for preparing approximately one million soldiers and civilians. He managed a $4.3B annual budget, spearheaded significant modernization initiatives, including the development of an army-wide health and holistic fitness strategy, actions that drove solutions towards recruiting challenges, integration of advanced training technologies, and system-wide transformation; all of which drove critical change and supported enterprise transformation initiatives.
Previously, as the U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel (G-1), he served as a SVP, leading end-to-end human capital, readiness, and workforce policy for the entire Army. His people-first, data-driven approach strengthened fiscal accountability, optimized talent management, and elevated organizational readiness across a skilled workforce of approximately 1,000 personnel providing expert HR support to the total Army of approximately one million personnel.
Brito also commanded (CEO) the Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning, GA, and the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, LA—two of the nation’s most critical training and force-generation platforms—where he drove innovation, advanced organizational agility, leader development, and operational preparation.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Penn State, a master’s degree in human resource management from Troy State University, and completed elite executive programs, including Leadership at the Peak and MIT’s Seminar XXI. He received Penn State’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2025—the institution’s highest honor.
Brito is passionate about contributing his multifaceted perspective to boards across the public and private sectors, including technology, defense, and youth development, as well as public speaking.
He is married to Michelle Brito, née Harper, and they have two adult sons, Matthew and Patrick.