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Ripon College is celebrating 175 years of learning, leadership and community — and the year ahead is full of meaningful moments. We’ll kick things off with three signature events today: our 175th Celebration, the first of three Rally Days — our annual Giving Day that supports today’s students — and Founders’ Day, a day to honor our beginnings and recognize the people and principles that shaped Ripon.

These milestones invite us to look back with pride, celebrate the present and invest in what’s next — honoring an exemplary past and building an extraordinary future.

Join us on social media today as the events unfold or at one of our Rally Hours as we honor our history and build the future of Ripon College — together.

#RiponCollege175

“Being able to observe and monitor physiological responses to exercise in individuals with cardiovascular conditions has helped me better understand the practical application of exercise physiology principles, patient safety and individualized program design,” says Logan Cooper ’25.

Logan earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science with an emphasis on human performance with a minor in strength and conditioning last spring. He then entered Ripon’s graduate program and recently completed his master’s of exercise science in exercise physiology. Part of that program included a semester-long internship in the cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation department at SSM Health in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

“My internship accentuated what I learned in the classroom by allowing me to see how theoretical concepts such as heart rate monitoring, blood pressure responses to exercise and progressive overload are implemented in a clinical setting,” says Logan. “It also was excellent preparation for a future career in exercise physiology by developing my ability to work with special populations, interpret physiological data
and contribute to safe and effective exercise programming.”

Logan plans to continue developing his skills in exercise programming, coaching and client relationship building as a personal trainer with Life Time, a nationwide fitness franchise. He says his short-term goal is to continue expanding his knowledge and experience with the ultimate goal of opening his own fitness center.

We are excited to announce the appointment of Rich Warren as Ripon College’s next Vice President and Director of Athletics. Warren joins Ripon from Hanover College, where he served as Associate Vice President for Athletics, and brings with him a distinguished background as a decorated student-athlete, successful coach and results-driven administrator.

Read more at our website.

William Tyree spent his entire 33-year career teaching philosophy at Ripon College. He was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II and chaplain from 1944 to 1946 in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater aboard the USS Joseph T. Dickman. He came to Ripon in 1950 after earning his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Edinburgh and a Master of Sacred Theology from Union Theological Seminary in New York. He served 23 years as chair of Ripon's philosophy department and was the first to hold the Helen Swift Neilson Professorship of Cultural Studies from 1969-83.

#RiponCollege175

Congratulations to our bachelor’s and master’s degree graduates of the Class of 2026. These photos have been posted on our Facebook page.

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate our 160th Commencement and the members of the Class of 2026. We are grateful for our 175 years and our exemplary past, and it’s clear that this group of graduates will have an extraordinary future.
#RiponCollege175

Today’s Commencement ceremony will be held inside the field house at Willmore Center.
Graduates: please assemble in the Keipe Gym at 12:15 p.m. The ceremony will begin at 1 p.m.

Today, we continue to celebrate our 2026 graduates — both our bachelor's degree and master's degree candidates. Check ripon.edu for the full schedule of events today and tomorrow. #RiponCollege175

Today, we continue to celebrate our 2026 graduates — both our bachelor's degree and master's degree candidates. Check ripon.edu for the full schedule of events today and tomorrow. #RiponCollege175

Did you know that ceremonial maces originated as lethal weapons? They evolved into symbols of rank and authority. At colleges and universities, the mace represents the institution’s autonomy and the protection of its academic processes.

Ripon College’s Commencement ceremony is full of other significant symbols and traditions. Swipe to familiarize yourself with some of the common conventions ahead of Sunday’s big event.

Did you know that ceremonial maces originated as lethal weapons? They evolved into symbols of rank and authority. At colleges and universities, the mace represents the institution’s autonomy and the protection of its academic processes.

Ripon College’s Commencement ceremony is full of other significant symbols and traditions. Swipe to familiarize yourself with some of the common conventions ahead of Sunday’s big event.

Did you know that ceremonial maces originated as lethal weapons? They evolved into symbols of rank and authority. At colleges and universities, the mace represents the institution’s autonomy and the protection of its academic processes.

Ripon College’s Commencement ceremony is full of other significant symbols and traditions. Swipe to familiarize yourself with some of the common conventions ahead of Sunday’s big event.

Did you know that ceremonial maces originated as lethal weapons? They evolved into symbols of rank and authority. At colleges and universities, the mace represents the institution’s autonomy and the protection of its academic processes.

Ripon College’s Commencement ceremony is full of other significant symbols and traditions. Swipe to familiarize yourself with some of the common conventions ahead of Sunday’s big event.

Did you know that ceremonial maces originated as lethal weapons? They evolved into symbols of rank and authority. At colleges and universities, the mace represents the institution’s autonomy and the protection of its academic processes.

Ripon College’s Commencement ceremony is full of other significant symbols and traditions. Swipe to familiarize yourself with some of the common conventions ahead of Sunday’s big event.

Did you know that ceremonial maces originated as lethal weapons? They evolved into symbols of rank and authority. At colleges and universities, the mace represents the institution’s autonomy and the protection of its academic processes.

Ripon College’s Commencement ceremony is full of other significant symbols and traditions. Swipe to familiarize yourself with some of the common conventions ahead of Sunday’s big event.

These nine students graduated from Ripon College 145 years ago. The photo found in the archives is labeled as the Class of 1871.
#RiponCollege175

Did you know that Warren Burger's Commencement address in 1967 led to him becoming a Chief Justice on the Supreme Court? This year's Founders' Day Award recipient Robert Abendroth ’51 invited Burger to speak. President Richard Nixon later read Burger's speech from that day and nominated the judge to the high Court. There is a plaque on Harwood Memorial Union, and you can read all about it in this week's Ripon Commonwealth Press online edition.

Julie Johnson arrived at Ripon College as a 24-year-old basketball coach and physical education teacher in 1990. She would remain to spend her entire career here, serving as a professor and chair in the physical education and exercise science departments and as a head coach of golf, softball and, most notably, women’s basketball. In 23 years at the helm of the basketball program, she amassed 303 wins and four Midwest Conference championships.

In 2010, she became the College’s first female athletic director — a position she held for nine years until her untimely death related to ovarian cancer in 2019. The women's basketball team annually honors Johnson's legacy and "Team JJ" by wearing teal uniforms on alumni day.

#RiponCollege175