Commencement speech
A commencement speech or commencement address is a speech given to graduating students, generally at a university, generally in the United States, although the term is also used for secondary education institutions. The "commencement" is a ceremony in which degrees or diplomas are conferred upon graduating students. A commencement speech is typically given by a notable figure in the community, during the commencement exercise. The person giving such a speech is known as a commencement speaker. Very commonly, colleges or universities will invite politicians, important citizens, or other noted speakers to come and address the graduating class.
A commencement speech is less bound by the structure found in other forms of public address, like eulogies or wedding speeches. The speaker accordingly enjoys a unique freedom to express him or herself. Executive speechwriter Anthony Trendl writes
A commencement speech, simply, is an opportunity to share your experience, values and advice. The precise form is up to you. This affords the speaker a platform to say amazing, unlimited things.[1]
Some notable speeches
- Winston Churchill at Harrow School in 1941[2][3]
- John F. Kennedy's American University speech in 1963[2]
- Hillary Rodham at Wellesley College in 1969 [4]
- Richard Feynman at the California Institute of Technology in 1974 : "Cargo cult science"
- Steve Jobs at Stanford University in 2005[5]
- David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College in 2005: "This Is Water"
- J. K. Rowling at Harvard University in 2008: The Fringe Benefits of Failure[6]
- Troian Bellisario at University of Southern California in 2014
- Neil Gaiman at University of the Arts in 2012[7]
- Nassim Taleb at American University of Beirut in 2016[8]
2016 speeches
President Obama, Howard University [9]
Steven Spielberg, Harvard [10][11]
Peter Thiel, Hamilton College [12]
Micheal Bloomberg, University of Michigan [13]
Charles Duhigg, Wren College [14]
Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Duke University [15]
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas at Hillsdale College's [16]
See also
References
- ↑ Trendl, Anthony. "What Makes a Commencement Speech?".
- 1 2 "Top 10 Commencement Speeches". Time magazine. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
- ↑ "The 10 Best Graduation Speeches of All Time: Winston Churchill, Former UK PM". CNBC. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
- ↑ "Student Speech". Wellesley College. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
- ↑ "'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says". Stanford Report. June 14, 2005. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ↑ J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement. 15 September 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2016 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Neil Gaiman: Keynote Address 2012". University of the Arts. May 17, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ↑ "Nassim Taleb: Commencement Address 2016" (PDF). American University of Beirut. May 26, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K4MctEmkmI
- ↑ http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/3/11/steven-spielberg-2016-commencement/
- ↑ http://www.harvard.edu/live-stream
- ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/276303
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE0VYRPTUrc
- ↑ http://wrencollege.blogspot.com/2016/05/2016-wren-college-commencement-address.html?spref=tw
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22NhSu1IxwY&feature=youtu.be
- ↑ https://www.hillsdale.edu/commencement-2016/
External links
- The art of the commencement speech, an archive
- Excerpts from commencement speeches by Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and J.K. Rowling