commencement addresses

Kansas City Chiefs player Harrison Butker, pictured at a press conference in February, is in hot water for his recent commencement speech at Benedictine College in Kansas.

The NFL responds after a player urges female college graduates to become homemakers

4:52pm May 16, 2024

by Rachel Treisman

Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs urged female graduates to embrace the title of "homemaker" in a controversial commencement speech. The NFL says he was speaking "in his personal capacity."

Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., delivers the commencement address at Colorado College on Sunday in Colorado Springs, Colo. She urged the 2023 graduates to not compromise on the truth.

Politics & Government

Liz Cheney tells Colorado graduates to 'stand in truth,' warns democracy is in peril

8:53pm May 29, 2023

by Deepa Shivaram

The former U.S. congresswoman (R-Wyo.) and House leader told graduates of her alma mater that America cannot remain a free nation if the truth is abandoned.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading member of the White House's coronavirus task force, made a surprise appearance at the virtual graduation ceremony for the College of the Holy Cross, where he is an alumnus.

Anthony Fauci: 'Now Is The Time ... To Care Selflessly About One Another'

2:20pm May 23, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

The prominent immunologist, coronavirus fighter — and unlikely celebrity — offered a pair of surprise graduation addresses this week, at Johns Hopkins University and the College of the Holy Cross

In a video shared on YouTube, graduate Shuping Yang praised the "fresh air of free speech" in the U.S. during her commencement address at the University of Maryland on Sunday.

Chinese Student's Commencement Speech In U.S. Isn't Going Over Well In China

4:55pm May 23, 2017

by Anthony Kuhn

Shuping Yang praised the "fresh air of free speech" in the U.S. during her commencement address at the University of Maryland. That sparked a backlash from classmates and from people in China.

President Barack Obama speaks during Rutgers University's 250th Anniversary commencement ceremony on Sunday in New Brunswick, N.J.

Without Naming Him, Obama Takes Aim At Trump During Rutgers Commencement

4:05pm May 15, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

"Ignorance is not a virtue," the president told Rutgers University graduates, in an apparent critique of Donald Trump. He called for embracing an interconnected world over building walls.

President Obama has delivered nearly two dozen commencement speeches during his time in office — including this one, at the University of California, Irvine, in 2014.

A Portrait Of The President, One Commencement Speech At A Time

10:30am May 15, 2016

by Scott Horsley

Graduations are always milestones for the students. This year they're a milestone for the president, too, as he begins to look towards his own graduation from the Oval Office.

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As More Speakers Get The Boot, Who's Left To Send Off Graduates?

7:59pm May 14, 2014

by Eric Westervelt

In a string of commencement-speaker dropouts, would-be honorary guests are being pushed out by campus protests. Meanwhile, schools are trying to boost their reputations and promote diverse ideas.

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