Cal State Long Beach President Loren J. Blanchard will deliver the keynote address at Compton College’s 2026 commencement ceremony, officials announced Tuesday.
The ceremony is scheduled for 6 p.m. June 12 at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid on the Cal State Long Beach campus.
College officials said the venue will open at 4:30 p.m. for graduates and guests.
The commencement ceremony will be livestreamed on Compton College’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/channel/UCd4v1ThUsDIYEh6z9TUaoIQ.
Blanchard began serving as president of Cal State Long Beach in May.
“A proud first-generation college graduate and accomplished higher education leader, he has devoted more than 35 years to expanding student opportunity and success,” Compton College officials said in a statement.
He previously served as president of the University of Houston-Downtown and earlier worked as executive vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs for the California State University system, officials said.
During his tenure with the CSU system, Blanchard helped lead development of Graduation Initiative 2025, a long-term student success effort aimed at improving educational outcomes across the university system.
He earned a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Georgia, a master’s degree in education from McNeese State University and a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology education from Xavier University of Louisiana.