Actor Justin Hartley, best known for his roles on NBC’s This Is Us and the CBS drama Tracker, will deliver the keynote address and receive an honorary degree at Knox College’s 2026 commencement ceremony on June 7, the Galesburg liberal arts school announced Friday.
The ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. on the South Lawn of Old Main on the Knox campus and is free and open to the public. Hartley will be joined on the list of honorary degree recipients by arts executive Deborah F. Rutter and investigative journalist Dorothy Tucker, both recognized by the college for sustained contributions in their fields.
Knox College President C. Andrew McGadney said the selection of Hartley — a native of nearby Knoxville — is especially meaningful. “It’s not often that Knox gets to welcome a native of the Illinois prairie as its Commencement speaker, which makes awarding an honorary degree to Justin Hartley this June truly meaningful,” McGadney said in the announcement, praising Hartley’s more than two decades in acting, producing and directing as a model for the Class of 2026.
Hartley currently stars in and executive produces Tracker, now in its third season and described in the Knox announcement as the most-watched entertainment series on network television. He rose to national prominence as Kevin Pearson on This Is Us, a show that earned more than 230 nominations and about 50 wins during its run; Hartley himself received multiple Critics Choice Award nominations and, with his castmates, won consecutive SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. He also made his directorial debut on This Is Us, helming the episode “A Hell of a Week: Part Three,” the college noted.
Born in Knoxville and raised in Orland Park, Hartley studied history and theatre at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the University of Illinois at Chicago before embarking on a screen career that spans television and film. The college’s announcement framed his hometown roots and professional trajectory as an inspiration for graduates.
Deborah F. Rutter, another honorary degree recipient, is an American arts executive with more than four decades of leadership at major performing-arts institutions. Rutter served as president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from 2014 to 2025 — the first woman to hold that post — where she oversaw significant artistic expansion including the opening of The REACH campus. She now serves as vice provost for the arts at Duke University and has led organizations including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association and the Seattle Symphony.
Dorothy Tucker has been honored for investigative reporting that, according to the announcement, exposed systemic discriminatory practices and consumer frauds that prompted task forces, legislative actions and the incarceration of notorious scam artists. Tucker’s journalism has earned multiple Emmy Awards, Edward R. Murrow Awards and other national honors; she has also held leadership roles in the National Association of Black Journalists, including serving as president.
Knox College said the commencement program will celebrate the Class of 2026 with the three honorary degree presentations and Hartley’s address; further details and any public accommodations were to be provided by the college ahead of the June ceremony.