Jewell celebrates the Class of 2026
02/13/2026
William Jewell College will celebrate the Class of 2026 at a Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 16. The traditional Walk Around the Quad led by Kansas City Celtic Pipes and Drums will be followed by graduation in in the Mabee Center. Marine Lt. Col. Tyler B. Folan, Jewell Class of 2009, will be the Commencement speaker.
Other celebrations include Baccalaureate on May 15 and Nursing Pinning on May 14.
On May 20, you can view graduation photos and the video on this page.
About the Guest Speaker
Lieutenant Colonel Tyler B. Folan is a third-generation United States Marine, an Eagle Scout and a proud husband and father of three amazing young men. He is married to his best friend, Calla (Korschot) Folan, a 2010 Jewell alumna.
Folan graduated from Jewell in 2009 and Commissioned the same day of graduation. That fall, he attended and graduated from The Basic School and Infantry Officer Course before reporting to 1st Battalion, 6th Marines. As a rifle platoon commander, he deployed to Sangin and Kajaki, Afghanistan (2011–2012), where he conducted both combat and counterinsurgency operations.
He later served as Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General of the 2d Marine Division and as an instructor at The Basic School and Infantry Officer Course. Returning to the operating forces, he commanded India Company, 3d Battalion, 8th Marines, deploying in support of AFRICOM and EUCOM, and subsequently served as Battalion Operations Officer for 3d Battalion, 2d Marines, deploying to Norway with Marine Rotational Force–Europe. From 2021 to 2024, he commanded Recruiting Station Denver. Last week he graduated from the School of Advanced Military Studies and will report to United States Forces–Korea as Joint operational planner this summer.
LtCol Folan completed his bachelor’s degree in political science at Jewell, earned an MBA from Northeastern University in Boston, a Master of Arts for Military Studies from the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and recently earned an M.A. in Military Operations from the School of Advanced Military Studies. Additionally, he attended the following schools: the Basic Airborne Course (Officer Honor Graduate), Expeditionary Warfare School (Distinguished Graduate), the Operations Tactics Instructor Course (Honor Graduate), Command and Staff College (top 30% of his class) and the School of Advanced Military Studies (Joint Student of the Year nominee).
While at Jewell, Folan was deeply engaged on The Hill, serving four years on Student Senate and making history by becoming its first two-term president during his junior and senior years. As an undergraduate, he helped shape key campus policies, including visitation and legal consumption on campus; was a member of the Pryor Leadership Studies program and Phi Gamma Delta; competed on the men’s tennis and cross country teams; was selected for the Alexander W. Doniphan (now Bill Summers) Award; and participated in countless other groups on campus.
The Folans are blessed with three amazing young men: Theodore, 6, Owen, 4, and Weston, 6 months. Aside from raising their boys, Calla is a vice president for Stern Brothers Valuations Advisors. She has earned a master’s degree in finance and is a Charter Financial Analyst.
Senior Speaker
Biology major Derrick Ampofo of Kumasi, Ghana, was voted by his classmates to serve as the Senior Speaker. He plans to complete an MD/PhD dual program and develop metabolic therapies for neurological diseases such as glioblastoma and Alzheimer’s.
Ampofo has been an active undergraduate researcher, from independent projects on campus to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) fellowship at Boston University and George Washington University.
Internships have taken him to Columbia University Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University and Tafo Government Hospital in Ghana, while closer to campus he has volunteered at Liberty Hospital, Children's Mercy and American Red Cross. He founded the Kansas City Immigrant Health Screenings Initiative as well as Jewell's African Student Union and was elected Student Senate vice president. This spring he was named one of five Faculty Award Finalists.