Overview
- The university notified districts Tuesday that it will not host any 2026 high school commencements on the Twin Cities campus, calling 20-plus ceremonies over two weeks unsustainable.
- The decision eliminates access to large-capacity sites such as 3M Arena at Mariucci, forcing major districts to seek alternative venues and potentially alter dates or formats.
- Officials say the focus is students, safety and core operations, and they will provide lists of other venues to help districts transition.
- Context includes a May shooting that wounded two outside Wayzata’s ceremony at Mariucci and a separate post-graduation incident in Burnsville with arrests, though the policy statement did not link the change to those events.
- Districts face cost and logistics ripple effects, with past rentals bringing about $200,000 to the university in 2024 and fees such as Anoka-Hennepin’s $55,000 in 2025, as a state senator urges a delay.