Hugh Jackman attends the ‘Song Sung Blue’ premiere at Zoo Palast in Berlin on Nov. 19, 2025. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images) Hugh Jackman is heading back to Indiana.
The veteran performer is set to deliver a commencement speech at Ball State University’s spring graduation ceremony, scheduled to take place in the Quad on May 2. The university-wide gathering will host approximately 2,800 doctoral, specialist, master’s and baccalaureate degrees students. Beyond the speech, the university will return the favor by presenting Jackman with an honorary arts degree.
The showing will bring Jackman back to the Ball State campus after first visiting last September when he joined his partner Sutton Foster for a visit. Foster serves as an instructor in the university’s theatre department, and Jackman joined her during one of her teaching visits. The pair co-starred on Broadway in The Music Man before going public with their relationship last year.
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Jackman returned to Ball State, located in Muncie, Indiana, in November to host a screening of his film Song Sung Blue ahead of its Christmas release. The film, written and directed by Craig Brewer, who adapted from a 2008 documentary by Greg Kohs, casts Jackman and (Oscar nominated) co-star Kate Hudson as Mike and Claire Sardina, a pair that performs as a Neil Diamond tribute band called Lightning & Thunder.
“Hugh is a talented and versatile artist and an enthusiastic advocate for the arts and humanities. For these reasons and many more, I am grateful that he accepted my invitation to be our commencement speaker,” said Ball State president Geoffrey S. Mearns. “I appreciate that Hugh continues to be gracious in sharing his time and talent with our University community, and I look forward to hearing his address to our Class of 2026.”
Jackman is one of Hollywood’s most versatile performers, who has moved from indie dramas and blockbusters to family films and big Broadway musicals. He next stars in The Sheep Detectives. As for his own education, Jackman studied at the University of Technology Sydney, graduating in 1991 with a BA in Communications.
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