Who’s Speaking Where? Looking at 2018 Commencement Speakers

Barnard College

Former Soccer Player and U.S. Olympian, Abby Wambach, is Barnard College’s 2018 Commencement speaker on Wednesday, May 16.

Bennett College

April Ryan, a veteran White House Correspondent and a political analyst at CNN, is Bennett College’s speaker at this year’s Commencement ceremony on May 5th at 10 a.m ET.

Bentley University

Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and C Space Chairman Diane Hessan are Bentley University’s undergraduate and graduate keynote speakers at the university’s commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 19 at 10 a.m and 3 p.m ET respectively.

Case Western Reserve University

Former Cleveland Clinic CEO and renown heart surgeon, Toby Cosgrove, MD, will give the Commencement address to Case Western Reserve University’s graduating seniors, guests, and university officials on Sunday, May 20 at 9:30 a.m ET.

Claremont McKenna College

Christine Lagarde, the first female Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, will address the graduating Class of 2018 at Claremont McKenna College’s 71st annual Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 12 at 2 p.m PT.

Clemson University

Nikki Haley, the U.S Ambassador to the United Nations, will speak at the College of Business and College of Education graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 10 at 2.30 p.m ET.

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott will address graduating students of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences and College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences at 9:30 a.m; and at the 2:30 p.m. ceremony for the College of Architecture Arts and Humanities and College of Science on Friday, May 11.

Colby College

Senator Susan Collins will be the keynote speaker at Colby College’s 2018 graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 27.

College of William and Mary

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner will address College of William and Mary’s class of graduating seniors at the college’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 12 at 9:00 a.m ET. Katherine Johnson, the NASA mathematician whose contributions assisted NASA in the launch of the first human spaceflight, will be honored at the ceremony.

Dartmouth College

Dartmouth alum and actress Mindy Kaling will be giving the commencement address to the school’s graduating class on June 10th at 9 a.m. EST.

Dickinson College

Stephen M. Smith, the president and CEO of outdoor clothing brand L.L. Bean will be returning to his alma mater to give the commencement speech Dickinson College’s graduation ceremony.

Dillard University

Grammy Award winning artist, Chance the Rapper, will give the 2018 Commencement address at the graduation ceremony of Dillard University on Saturday, May 12.

Duke University

Apple CEO, Tim Cook, is Duke University’s 2018 Commencement speaker on Monday, May 13.

Franklin & Marshall College 

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker will address the 2018 graduating class of Franklin & Marshall College on Saturday, May 12.

Hamilton College

Darren Walker, the president of the Ford Foundation, will not only deliver Hamilton College’s 2018 Commencement speech but will also be awarded an honorary degree on Sunday, May 20 at 10:15 a.m ET.

Harvard College

Politician and civil rights leader, John Lewis, is Harvard College’s 2018 Commencement speaker on Thursday, May 24. 

High Point University

Singer and Songwriter, Josh Groban, will deliver High Point University’s 2018 Commencement address to the graduating seniors on this Saturday, May 5.

Helene Fuld College of Nursing

Cynthia Nixon, actress and current candidate for mayor of New York City, is Helene Fuld College of Nursing’s 2018 Commencement speaker on Saturday, May 4.

Liberty University

Former President Jimmy Carter has been announced as Liberty University’s keynote speaker at its 45th Commencement on Saturday, May 19.

Loyola Marymount University

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Ronan Farrow will deliver the keynote address to graduates and guests at Loyola Marymount University’s 2018 graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 5 at 9:15 a.m PT.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

COO of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, will address the graduating class of 2018 at MIT’s Commencement ceremony on Friday, June 8.

Miami University

2018 Super Bowl champion Brandon Brooks will return to his former college, Miami University, to give the 2018 Commencement address to the graduating seniors on Saturday, May 19.

New York University

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will not only be presented with an honorary doctorate of law at NYU’s 186th Commencement Exercises but will also address fellow degree recipients and guests as a featured speaker on Wednesday, May 16.

Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University

At Philadelphia University and Thomas Jefferson University’s inaugural joint commencement ceremony, since their merger last year, Prince Albert II of Monaco will congratulate the graduating Class of 2018 on Wednesday, May 9 at 10 a.m. ET.

Pomona College

Both Danielle Allen, political theorist and author, and Kenji Yoshino, NYU School of Law’s Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law, have been cited as the keynote speakers at Pomona College’s 2018 Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 13 at 10 a.m. PT.

Rice University 

Former New York City mayor, and billionaire philanthropist, Michael Bloomberg is set to address Rice University’s graduating class on Saturday, May 12.

Rutgers University, Newark

New Jersey’s own Queen Latifah will deliver the 2018 Commencement address at the graduation ceremony of Rutgers University-Newark on Monday, May 14.

Stanford University 

Emmy Award-winning actor Sterling K. Brown, who currently stars on NBC‘s hit drama This Is Us, will return to his alma mater to give the 2018 Commencement address at Stanford University’s graduation ceremony on Sunday, June 17.

Tufts University 

Ellen J. Kullman, the first female CEO of DuPont, will return to her alma mater to deliver this year’s commencement address to Tuft’s graduating class on Sunday, May 20 at 9 a.m ET. Kullman will also be a recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Science degree at the ceremony.

University of Colorado, Boulder

Kate Brown, the governor of Oregon, will be returning to her alma mater to give the commencement speech to CU Boulder’s graduating class on Thursday, May 10 at 8:30 a.m. MST.

University of California, Berkeley 

Kamala Harris, the second African-American woman elected to the U.S. Senate, will address the 2018 graduating class of UC Berkeley on Saturday, May 12.

University of California, Los Angeles

Actress and neuroscientist, Mayim Bialik, will give the 2018 Commencement address at the graduation ceremony at UCLA on Friday, June 15.

University of Portland

ESPN anchor Hannah Storm will be a speaker at the University of Portland’s 2018 commencement on Sunday, May 6 at the 3 p.m. PST ceremony.

University of Southern California

Pulitzer Prize winner Siddhartha Mukherjee, a pioneering physician in the field of oncology, will be USC’s featured speaker at the university’s 135th commencement ceremony on Friday, May 11 at 8:30 a.m PT.

Entertainment mogul Oprah Winfrey is set to give the commencement address to USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism’s 2018 class of undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctorate students on Friday, May 11.

Webster University

Micheal P McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, will give the 2018 Commencement address at the graduation ceremony at Webster University on Saturday, May 12.

Yale University

Former secretary of state and presidential candidate Hilary Clinton will be a speaker during Yale’s graduation weekend. Clinton will be speaking on May 20 at 2 p.m. EST.