Three-Time Colonel Graduate Found Purpose and a Home at EKU

Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) commencement speaker Dr. Chris Butcher, ’18 ’19 ’25, stood before graduates with a message shaped by years of resilience, community and unexpected beginnings. The same university that welcomed him as a first-generation college student later welcomed him as an employee. He moved from student worker roles into recruitment, earned a master’s degree and eventually stepped into his first leadership position. At the Dec. 4 master’s and doctoral commencement ceremony, Butcher graduated with his third degree from EKU, a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies.

Butcher’s journey to becoming a three-time EKU graduate all started with some candy. As a high school student in London, Kentucky, Butcher was recruited by another university, which sent him custom M&Ms. He jokingly posted about it on social media and tagged EKU, asking what they would do in response. He expected a T-shirt. Instead, EKU showed up at his high school with the Colonel mascot and what he explained was enough candy “to open a store.” This gesture showed Butcher—and 86 of his high school classmates—how much EKU cared about its students. From that moment, he became widely known by his classmates, other prospective students and even EKU students as the “Candy Man.”

What felt like a fun recruitment moment was, in hindsight, a promise and a beginning that would redefine his life. Growing up in significant poverty and being a first-generation college student—the son of a mother with a high school diploma and a father who did not finish school—EKU became a home.

“I wasn’t just a number; I was family,” said Butcher.

He explored multiple disciplines before finding his fit in psychology for his undergraduate education and educational leadership for his graduate studies. He credits EKU for giving him space to grow, discover his purpose and “fail forward.”

Butcher’s time in graduate school brought challenges, including “the immense pressure of research and writing and the invisible battle with imposter syndrome.” His studies paused for military training when he joined the National Guard and again when his father fell ill. Through each setback, Butcher recognized EKU as his anchor, offering grace and encouragement as he navigated responsibilities beyond the classroom.

His personal life took shape at EKU, too. He met his wife as a student, and together they later welcomed a son. 

To his fellow graduates, he said, “Go out and be the ones who deliver the candy. Create unexpected moments of opportunity for others. Create intentional moments of joy for yourself. Be living proof that a home can be found wherever you build it.”

Earning the title of “Dr. Butcher” as a three-time EKU graduate, his path was not only about building a career but about discovering his purpose. Now serving in the Faculty Center for Teaching & Learning at EKU, he helps educators refine their craft—a role he says reflects the community that lifted him.

Butcher is one of nine doctoral degrees, 254 post-graduate degrees and 1,120 total degrees officially conferred at Fall 2025 commencement. Of the Fall 2025 graduating class, 46% were Pell recipients or Pell eligible, and 45% are the first in their families to earn a higher education degree. EKU consistently ranks highest among Kentucky’s public universities for Top Performers on Social Mobility by U.S. News & World Report. Additionally, EKU was named an “Opportunity College” by the Carnegie Foundation, reflecting EKU’s commitment to student access and post-graduation outcomes.