Source: The University Record
Jalen Rose
Jalen Rose
Leaders in the fields of human-rights law, bioengineering, athletics, broadcasting, business and philanthropy will receive honorary degrees at the University of Michigan’s 2026 Spring Commencement in Ann Arbor. The ceremony will be May 2 at Michigan Stadium.
Jalen Rose, founder of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy in Detroit, sports analyst, and former U-M and NBA player, will be the main speaker at the commencement ceremony. He will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters.
Born and raised in Detroit, Rose first captured the national spotlight in the early 1990s as a key member of U-M’s iconic Fab Five.
In 1994, he was selected in the first round of the NBA draft, where he played 13 seasons. He was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2000 and helped the Indiana Pacers reach the NBA Finals that same year.
Since retiring from basketball, Rose has assumed many roles, creating a blueprint for how athletes can catapult professional sports careers into successful corporate and philanthropic work.
One of his biggest contributions off the court was founding the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy in 2011. The open-enrollment, tuition-free public charter high school located in the Detroit neighborhood where he grew up now serves more than 400 students annually and over 1,000 alumni, with a 95% graduation rate and 100% college and postsecondary acceptance.
Today, Rose is also a driving force for the cultural resurgence of Detroit as co-founder and CEO of the recently launched Same Page Entertainment. The Detroit-based multimedia production company develops, produces, finances, and distributes scripted and unscripted film, television and podcasts. Founded alongside Tom Gores, chairman and founder of Platinum Equity and owner of the Detroit Pistons, Same Page Entertainment is rooted in building stories that celebrate culture and spark conversations that bring communities closer together.
Others approved for honorary degrees are: Continue reading The Record.
