University of Findlay Commencement Ceremonies to be Held May 6, 2023

University of Findlay will hold commencement ceremonies for 2023 graduates on Saturday, May 6 in the Koehler Fitness and Recreation Complex. The graduating class of 2023 includes a total of 816 students, ranging from the age of 19 to 71.

Doors will open at 8 a.m. for the graduate commencement ceremony, with the formal procession to begin at 9 a.m. The undergraduate ceremony will be held in the afternoon. Doors will open at 2 p.m., and the formal procession will begin at 3 p.m. Following each ceremony, graduates will participate in Findlay’s long-standing tradition of marching back through the Griffith Memorial Arch.

The ceremonies will be broadcast by UFTV on its YouTube Channel, UFTV Productions.

Graduating students and their families are invited to the Commencement Brunch. The brunch buffet will take place in the Alumni Memorial Union from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost of the brunch is $20 for adults, $10 for children ages 6-12, children under 5 are free, and graduates are complimentary. Registration for the Commencement Brunch is required and can be completed online.

William H. Reist ’73, president of The Foundation of the Great Lakes Conference, Churches of God, General Conference, will speak at the morning graduate ceremony for the graduating class of 2023. Reist is a 1973 graduate of Findlay College, a 1976 graduate of Winebrenner Theological Seminary, and earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in 2004. Prior to his ministry at College First, Pastor Reist served congregations in Middletown, Elizabethtown, and Marysville, Pennsylvania, and served on the administrative staff of the Churches of God, General Conference and Winebrenner Seminary. He has been an adjunct faculty member of the University and is currently an adjunct at Winebrenner Seminary. He is married to Judy M. (Markle) ‘89 Reist and they have two sons and five grandchildren.

Lance Finley, Executive Director of the Churches of God, General Conference in Findlay, Ohio, will speak at the afternoon undergraduate ceremony for the graduating class of 2023. Finley is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University and Winebrenner Theological Seminary. An ordained pastor with the Churches of God, Finley has served in numerous leadership roles within the church as well as the larger community. Lance is married to the love of his life, Brenda and they reside in Findlay, Ohio with their children Carter, Molly, and Connor.

For more additional details on the commencement ceremonies, visit the University of Findlay Commencement Information webpage.