CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2026!
Sunday, May 17, 2026
Graduation Ceremony
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Reception
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Penn Museum,
Harrison Auditorium
3260 South Street
University of Pennsylvania
Dress Code: Business Casual
Students should wear graduation gowns
All Lauder Class of 2026 students in good academic standing are eligible to participate in the graduation ceremony, even those who plan to graduate in August or December 2026.
N.B. Diplomas are not distributed at graduation ceremonies. Graduates will receive their diplomas by mail from the University.
Questions about Graduation can be directed to Sydney Wilson-Roberts at sydswr@wharton.upenn.edu
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Our Distinguished Speaker for the 2026 Lauder Institute Graduation Ceremony will be Rene M. Kern (WG90, G90), Vice Chair of the Lauder Institute’s Board of Governors.
A graduate of the Lauder Institute’s Europe–German Program, Rene has built a distinguished global career at the intersection of finance and international leadership. He spent 25 years at General Atlantic, a leading global investment and private equity firm, where he served as partner and managing director, then as a senior advisor. He led the firm’s European and Latin American business, financial services practice, and capital partnering team. He also served on the firm’s executive, investment, and portfolio committees. Earlier in his career, Rene worked at Morgan Stanley in New York and London, and at Bain & Company in Boston. In addition to his engaged and long-running membership on the Lauder Institute’s Board, he is a member of the UC Berkeley Foundation Board of Trustees, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and co-president of the Rene Kern Family Foundation, a philanthropic organization which supports not-for-profit organizations in education, the arts, and health care in the United States.
Rene earned a BS in Business Administration from the University of California, an MBA from The Wharton School, and an MA in International Studies from the Lauder Institute.
