ASHLAND, Ohio – In one of his final acts as president of Ashland University, Carlos Campo, Ph.D., will not only preside over this spring’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 4, but he will serve as the keynote speaker. Commencement takes place inside the Niss Athletic Center (905 Moss Hill Drive) and starts at 10 a.m.
With plenty of seating available in the 125,000-square foot facility, no tickets are required for the ceremony. It will also be streamed live at ashland.edu/commencement.
Campo will officially conclude a nine-year tenure as president of the university on May 31. With his leadership, Ashland has hit a number of milestones that have strengthened the university. The formation and completion of the “Campaign for Every Individual” was the largest campaign in AU’s history at $100 million and it allowed for the construction of the Niss Athletic Center, a total renovation of Clayton Hall (large residence hall), a series of campus beautification projects that have transformed the campus and more.
Campo and his administration also oversaw a successful reaccreditation, launched new academic programs in physician assistant studies (graduate) and industrial and systems engineering (undergraduate), secured three successful rounds of state funding, led the establishment of the Jack W. Liebert Military and Veteran Resource Center and facilitated substantial growth of the Correctional Education program.
In addition, Campo serves as vice chair of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. He has been a featured speaker at the Hispanic Education Alliance Summit, advocates for and works with national leaders on immigration reform as a member of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration and serves as a spokesperson for educational issues within the Hispanic community.
Campo was one of Crain’s 45 Notable Latino Leaders in 2023 and was named Alumnus of the Year by the UNLV College of Liberal Arts in 2016. He has chaired the educational committee for the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., and was named CEO there, with his tenure set to begin in mid-June.
Campo earned a Ph.D. in English with an emphasis in drama, a master’s degree in English and a bachelor’s degree in theater all from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.
More information on AU’s commencement, including lineup and procession information, parking photography services, etc., is available here.
Ashland University is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.