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The longtime Senator, who is not seeking reelection in 2026, will receive an honorary degree at the ceremony.

The 2026 Commencement will take place at 10:15 a.m. at Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N. River Road, Rosemont, Illinois.

Durbin currently serves as the Democratic whip, the second-highest ranking position in the Senate for the Democratic Caucus. He has been elected to this leadership post by his Democratic colleagues every two years since 2005. He is the fifth Illinois senator in history to serve as a Senate leader.

Durbin is also the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he has served as a member for more than 20 years. He previously served as Chair, leading the historic Committee as they consider immigration and criminal justice reform, work to combat hate crimes and domestic terrorism, oversee the nominations process for the nation’s federal courts up to and including the Supreme Court, and more.

During his tenure on the Committee, Durbin has led efforts to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act, increase transparency in federal courts, conduct Department of Justice oversight, reduce gun violence, reform bankruptcy laws to help students and workers, and protect intellectual property. In 2022, he led the confirmation process for Supreme Court Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson. 

Durbin is the first Illinois Senator in more than a quarter century to serve on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, a position that allows him to advocate for federal priorities important to Illinois. In his service with the committee, he has helped secure funding for everything from veterans care and schools to highways and health care clinics. Previously, the Senator served as Chair or Ranking Member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, which controls nearly half of the nation's annual discretionary budget and is important for Illinois, home to Naval Station Great Lakes, the Rock Island Arsenal, and Scott Air Force Base.  

Durbin joined the Committee on Agriculture, Rules, and Forestry in 2018. The Committee’s work centers on helping to establish, guide, and examine agricultural policies in the United States. This includes maintaining a strong safety-net for family farms, trade, food safety, nutrition, and conservation. Illinois is one of the top agriculture states in the nation, and Senator Durbin pushes for Illinois agricultural priorities that strengthen the economy and rural communities across the state.  

Beginning in 2001, Durbin introduced the Dream Act to give young immigrants the chance to earn U.S. citizenship. He has introduced the legislation every Congress since. The bipartisan legislation would allow noncitizens without lawful status who were brought to the United States as children and meet certain education, military service, or work requirements to earn lawful permanent residence. These young people, known as Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children, built their lives here, and are American in every way except for their immigration status.