New Jersey Governor to Serve as Featured Speaker at NJIT’s Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) has announced that New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree and be the featured speaker at the university’s undergraduate commencement ceremony on Friday, May 22, 2026, at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. NJIT also announced the full slate of honorary degree recipients here.
Commencement is the pinnacle of each academic year, a celebration of NJIT’s students, their accomplishments, and their future impact on the world. At the 9 a.m. ceremony, thousands of students who have earned bachelor’s degrees across a range of predominantly STEM disciplines will process across the stage and receive their diplomas. It also is an annual tradition at the ceremony to recognize select individuals who have advanced their fields and/or provided exemplary service by bestowing upon them honorary degrees.
“NJIT is New Jersey’s greatest producer of technological talent, and Commencement is a time when we send a new wave of brilliant and determined innovators out into the world to help solve its greatest challenges and become its next generation of leaders,” said NJIT President Teik C. Lim. “It is a celebration of both our students and their promise as well as the impact of our university. With a life defined by service and leadership, Governor Sherrill is the ideal voice to share her insights and inspire our graduates as they prepare to apply their knowledge and talents in ways that benefit the world.”
A U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Navy helicopter pilot, former federal prosecutor, former congressional representative of New Jersey's 11th District, and now governor, Sherrill’s career has been defined by service to her country and to New Jersey.
Sherrill was inspired to join the military by her grandfather, a World War II veteran. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1994 – the first class of women eligible for combat roles on ships and aircraft – she spent almost 10 years on active duty in the United States Navy. As a Sea King Helicopter pilot, she led missions throughout Europe and the Middle East. She worked on the Battle Watch Floor in the European Theater during the Iraq War, served as a Flag Aide to the Deputy Commander of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and was a Russian policy officer aiding in the implementation of our nuclear treaty obligations while overseeing the relationship between the U.S. Navy and Russian Federation Navy.
Following her service in the Navy, Sherrill earned a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a law degree from Georgetown University. She subsequently worked in private practice and later joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey. As an Outreach and Reentry Coordinator, Sherrill established programs to develop trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve and helped people leaving prison to gain employment, housing, and education in order to restart their lives. Later, as an assistant U.S. attorney, she prosecuted numerous federal cases. Sherrill was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019 and served there until her election as New Jersey’s 57th governor and beginning her term in January of 2026.