VERSAILLES, Ky., Sept. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Frontier Nursing University will host its 2026 Commencement Ceremony at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 19 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. The event will celebrate nearly 1,000 students who have graduated in the university’s 2025-2026 academic year.
During the ceremony, FNU will award Doctor of Nursing Practice and Master of Science in Nursing degrees, as well as post-graduate certificates in the following specialty tracks: Certified Nurse-Midwife, Family Nurse Practitioner, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, and/or Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
“Commencement is the highlight of our academic year,” said FNU President Dr. Brooke A. Flinders. “Commencement celebrates the collective efforts of our faculty, staff, and especially our students, and allows us to celebrate the invaluable support provided by our students’ families and friends. We look forward to the incredible impact our 2026 graduates will have upon healthcare in their communities across the country.”
The event will also feature a keynote address from Dr. Susan Hassmiller, PhD, RN, FAAN, Senior Adviser for Nursing at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Dr. Hassmiller is a national leader in nursing, health equity, and leadership development. She has devoted her career to strengthening the nursing profession, improving population health, and advancing health equity. During her 25 years at RWJF, she shaped and led the Foundation’s nursing strategies to create a higher quality of care in the United States for people, families and communities.
Dr. Hassmiller served as the Senior Adviser for Nursing and the Senior Scholar-In-Residence/Senior Adviser to the President at the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). She helped to lead the landmark reports at NAM on the Future of Nursing ─ the 2010 Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health and The Future of Nursing, 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. She also established and served as the director of The Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, a nationwide initiative led by AARP, the AARP Foundation, and RWJF, to transform health and health care through nursing to build a healthier America.
“We are very excited to have Dr. Hassmiller as our keynote speaker,” Dr. Flinders said. “Sharing her expertise, leadership, and impact with our graduates is certain to give them even more motivation to be servant leaders in their own communities.”
About Frontier Nursing University
The mission of Frontier Nursing University is to provide a high-quality education that prepares nurses to become competent, entrepreneurial, ethical and compassionate nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to work with all people, with an emphasis on rural and underserved communities. FNU offers graduate Nurse-Midwifery and Nurse Practitioner distance education programs that can be pursued full- or part-time with the student’s home community serving as the classroom. Degrees and options offered include Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), or Post-Graduate Certificates. Frontier has been named a “Great College to Work For” by the Great Colleges to Work For® program for each of the past five years (2021-2025). To learn more about FNU and the programs and degrees offered, please visit Frontier.edu.
Jim Kelsey Frontier Nursing University 8592514671 james.kelsey@frontier.edu