Buena Vista University names alumni judges as 2026 commencement speakers

Buena Vista University is sending two familiar names back to Storm Lake for its 2026 commencement, a federal bankruptcy judge in Texas and a BVU education professor whose own career began on campus. The pair will address graduates in Siebens Fieldhouse and give this year’s ceremonies a clear message about what a local degree can become.

Shad Robinson, a 1996 BVU graduate, will speak at the undergraduate ceremony at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 9. BVU identifies him as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Texas, and a federal court announcement says he has also served as an adjunct professor at Baylor Law School for more than 18 years. Robinson earned his BVU degree in political science and criminal justice, with minors in religion and philosophy, before moving on to Baylor Law School, a clerkship and more than two decades of legal work with the Haley & Olson law firm. His practice has covered bankruptcy and commercial matters for individuals, financial institutions and businesses.

Dr. Trent Grundmeyer, a 2003 BVU graduate, will speak at the graduate ceremony at 11 a.m. BVU lists him as an associate professor of education, and his background includes work as a professor at Drake University and service as a high school principal in Iowa. In 2013, the School Administrators of Iowa named him Secondary Principal of the Year. BVU says Grundmeyer earned his bachelor’s degree from Buena Vista, his master’s from Drake University and his Ph.D. from Iowa State University. An earlier BVU profile also says he earned a superintendent certification and doctorate in educational administration from Iowa State.

President Brian Lenzmeier praised both men as examples of service, leadership and impact, a fitting theme for a university that describes its mission as “Education for Service.” For BVU, the lineup is more than ceremonial. It puts two alumni in front of graduates who are weighing whether to build their futures in northwest Iowa or head elsewhere, and it shows how a degree earned in Storm Lake can lead to a federal bench, a university faculty post or a career built across Iowa and beyond.

BVU’s commencement day is set for Saturday, May 9, 2026, with the graduate ceremony at 11 a.m. and the undergraduate ceremony at 2 p.m. Both events will be held in Siebens Fieldhouse and livestreamed on the university’s Facebook page through BVTV. The day’s schedule runs from 8 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.