Country Star Eric Church Named UNC Chapel Hill’s 2026 Graduation Speaker
“Being asked to be the Commencement speaker at North Carolina is one of the greatest honors I’ve ever had.”
Musician Eric Church has been selected to be the commencement speaker at UNC Chapel HIll in 2026.
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesUNC Chapel Hill picked Eric Church to speak at the 2026 spring graduation on May 9 at Kenan Stadium, the school announced this week.
"Being asked to be the Commencement speaker at North Carolina is one of the greatest honors I've ever had," Church said in a statement to UNC News. "Being a Tar Heel 'born, bred, dead' and knowing what the school has meant to me and my family, it's surreal."
Chancellor Lee H. Roberts praised the singer's state roots. "A proud North Carolinian and one of country music's most influential voices, Eric Church has long been a devoted Tar Heel fan and supporter of our University," Roberts said. "His significant efforts to help rebuild western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene show his deep commitment to his hometown and our state."
Born in Granite Falls, NC, Church started making music in 2006 with "Sinners Like Me." His big break came in 2011 when "Chief" topped Billboard's charts and won major awards. In 2025, he got the Academy of Country Music's Icon award.
His dedication to UNC sports runs deep. He once skipped a packed concert just to watch the basketball team beat Duke in the NCAA Final Four. When Bill Belichick coached his first game, Church sat with Michael Jordan at the football opener.
When Hurricane Helene struck NC last year, Church stepped up big. He joined Luke Combs for a benefit show called Concert for Carolina in Charlotte. They packed Bank of America Stadium with 80,000 fans and raised $24.5 million. "I've never played a show this close to my heart," Church told the crowd that night.
Through Chief Cares, he spent $850,000 on land in Avery County. The space will house 45 families who lost their homes in the storm. The first group moves in this fall. Time magazine noticed: they put him on their Philanthropy 100 list.
The graduation starts at 7 p.m. on May 9, 2026. Church joins past speakers like Mia Hamm, Madeleine Albright, and Dr. Anthony Fauci in addressing UNC grads at Kenan Stadium.
