Mayor Daniel Lurie Celebrates the Class of 2026 at GGU’s Commencement Ceremony

SAN FRANCISCO — Golden Gate University held its 2026 Commencement at Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, where graduates, family members, and friends came from around the world. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie delivered the keynote address and celebrated GGU’s momentum.

Lurie centered his remarks on the relationship between GGU and the city it has called home for 125 years. “As I thought about what I might share with you tonight, I kept coming back to the connection between this university and this city. Like San Francisco, Golden Gate University is growing and adapting. This institution is thinking globally, embracing new technologies, and preparing students for a rapidly changing economy.”

Lurie observed that GGU’s staying power comes down to answering one question well for more than a century: “What do people actually need, and how do you deliver it? I’ll be honest, that’s the same question I ask myself every single day as mayor.”

“You didn’t study business, law, accounting, psychology, taxation in the abstract,” he told the graduates. “You studied how organizations actually function, how people behave, how decisions get made, and who bears the consequences.”

Mayor Lurie stressed the importance of shared prosperity, “The comeback only holds if a comeback is for everyone,” he said, “for the server working a double shift in the Tenderloin, for the teacher in the Excelsior who loves this city and is one rent increase away from leaving it.”

Lurie concluded his remarks with a reminder to the graduates, “When things get complicated, and they will, come back to the simple question. What do people actually need and what actually works?”

Congratulations to the Class of 2026.

About Golden Gate University

Golden Gate University (GGU) is a private, nonprofit university anchored in San Francisco, serving more than 8,000 students worldwide. As an AI-focused, global, and multilingual institution, GGU is reimagining higher education for the future of work.