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Donald Roth, J.D., professor of business and criminal justice at ��͹��Ƶ, will serve as the graduate commencement speaker for ��͹��Ƶ’s class of 2026. The graduate commencement ceremony will take place on Friday, May 8 in the B.J. Haan Auditorium at 2 p.m.

Roth, who has served at ��͹��Ƶsince 2011, teaches courses such as Criminology, Nonprofit Law, and Negotiation. He also serves as co-director of the Kuyper Honors Program. Additionally, Roth is a faculty mentor, Pre-Law Club advisor, and member of the Graduate Studies and the Curriculum and Academic Policies committees.

His graduate commencement address, titled “Soli Deo Gloria,” will explore the definition of glory as “excellence made manifest.”

“This can inspire our education and lives in ways that go beyond surface-level gestures,” adds Roth. This topic, which is central to Roth’s scholarship and teaching, captures Dordt’s ongoing commitment to equipping students to actively participate in Christ-centered renewal in all areas of life.

“I'm convinced that one of our biggest contemporary challenges is what philosopher Craig Gay has called ‘practical atheism,’” explains Roth. “We go to church on Sunday, but we often live as if God has little practical significance to our day-to-day lives. My challenge to our graduates is to see that our calling to glorify God is a calling to embody—to make manifest—the excellence of the God we image, living lives that give credibility to the confession we make and drawing us closer to Him.”

For Roth, the most meaningful part of his work at ��͹��Ƶis to see students begin to bear fruit. “I have had the privilege of teaching students who have stepped up to lead their organizations, chosen to serve some of the most challenging communities in America, and traveled the globe doing development work,” says Roth. “It is deeply rewarding to hear of students' success, but it has been most meaningful when I have heard these students testify to the way they have deepened their relationship with God and neighbor through these achievements.”

The master's commencement and hooding ceremony at ��͹��Ƶ celebrates the hard-earned achievements of graduate students who have completed their master’s degrees. Many of these graduates have balanced their studies alongside careers, family responsibilities, and other commitments. This ceremony acknowledges their dedication, perseverance, and academic achievement. A light reception will follow for graduates and their families.

For more information about ��͹��Ƶ’s graduate programs and commencement, visit dordt.edu/events/commencement.

About ��͹��Ƶ

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, ��͹��Ƶ equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, ��͹��Ƶis a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.