Commencement Speakers for 2025

Updated on March 19, 2025

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The lineup for spring 2025 commencement speakers includes politicians, activists, academics, authors, actors, musicians, film producers, athletes, motivational speakers, and business leaders.

Credit: Craig F. Walker / The Boston Globe / Getty Images

Colleges and universities have begun naming their commencement speakers for 2025. Here’s a running list of announcements, including ceremony dates.

Stay tuned for continual updates throughout the spring.

Albion College — May 3

Debbie Stabenow, a former U.S. senator from Michigan

Albright College — May 11

Kenya Davis, an attorney and partner at Boies Schiller Flexner, LLP

Bucknell University — May 18

Jessica Livingston, a Bucknell alum and co-founder of Y Combinator

Central College — May 10

Adam Gregg, a Central alum and president and CEO of Iowa Bankers Association

Colorado College — May 18

Mike Shum, a Colorado College alum and an award-winning independent filmmaker

Colorado State University — May 16

Eugene Daniels, a Colorado State alum and senior Washington correspondent for MSNBC

Drew University — May 17

David Epstein, a journalist and author, undergraduate ceremony; Craig Drinkard, executive officer of the Victoria Foundation, graduate ceremony

Duke University — May 11

Grant Hill, a former Duke and NBA basketball player, sports commentator, and businessman

Eastern University — May 9-10

Marvin Rees, an Eastern alum and former mayor of Bristol, United Kingdom

Elon University — May 23

Wes Durham, an Elon alum and a sportscaster for ESPN and the ACC Network

Emory University — May 12

Usher Raymond IV, singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor

Gallaudet University — May 16

Tom Humphries, a Gallaudet alum and academic, author, and lecturer on deaf culture, undergraduate ceremony; Carol Padden, a communication professor at the University of California, San Diego, graduate ceremony

Harvard University — May 29

Abraham Verghese, a Stanford University biology professor, physician, and novelist

High Point University — May 3

Jane Seymour, actress

Hillsdale College — May 10

Victor Davis Hanson, a historian and political commentator

Kenyon College — May 17

Jacqueline Woodson, an award-winning writer

Marist University — May 24

Steve Kornacki, a national political correspondent for NBC News

Marquette University — May 10 or 11

Diane Foley, president of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, undergraduate ceremony; Anne Basting, emerita professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and founder of TimeSlips.org, graduate ceremony

Massachusetts Institute of Technology — May 29

Hank Green, an online educator, author, and YouTuber

New College of Florida — May 23

Alan Dershowitz, a constitutional lawyer, author, and Harvard Law School professor emeritus

North Carolina Wesleyan University — May 3

Danijel Velicki, founder of Opus Wealth Strategies and Sqwire, LLC

Northwestern University — June 15

Steve Carell, actor

Oral Roberts University — May 3

Bobby Gruenewald, a pastor and innovation leader at Life.Church and founder of the YouVersion Bible App

Oregon State University — June 14

Nicholas Kristof, an opinion columnist for The New York Times

Pitzer College — May 17

Shaquem Griffin, the NFL’s first one-handed player

Richard Bland College — May 14

Belle Wheelan, president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Scripps College — May 17

Nava Mau, a filmmaker, actor, advocate, and cultural worker

Siena College — May 18

Al Roker, NBC “Today” anchor

Stanford University — June 15

Katie Ledecky, a Stanford alum and 14-time Olympic medalist in swimming

Susquehanna University — May 10

Baktash Ahadi, a Susquehanna alum and a director, producer, and writer

University of Georgia — May 8-9

Jarryd Wallace, a Georgia alum and Paralympian, undergraduate ceremony; Paige Carmichael, a Georgia alum and professor at the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine, graduate ceremony

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — May 17

Robert J. Jones, chancellor of the university

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — May 10

Mia Hamm, a UNC alum and World Cup and Olympic soccer champion

University of Pittsburgh — May 4

Larry Fitzgerald Jr., the former Pitt and NFL football player and founder of the Larry Fitzgerald Foundation

University of Saint Francis — May 3

Jason Shanks, president of the National Eucharistic Congress

University of Southern California — May 15

Jon M. Chu, a USC alum and film director, screenwriter, and producer

University of Utah — May 1

Holly Rowe, a Utah alum and ESPN commentator

Warren Wilson College — May 10

Colleen Shogan, the 11th archivist of the United States

Wheaton College — May 10-11

Ricky Jenkins, senior pastor of Southwest Church

Wilkes University — May 17

Eddie Day Pashinski, a Wilkes alum and Pennsylvania state representative, and David Hicks, an author and director of the university’s graduate program in creative writing

William Peace University — May 10

Mary-Ann Baldwin, a former mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, and executive director of the Cooper Charitable Foundation

Wittenberg University — May 17

Gina Schaefer, a Wittenberg alum and founder of 13 ACE Hardware stores

Worcester Polytechnic Institute — May 15-16

Michelle Gass, a WPI alum and president and CEO of Levi Strauss & Co., undergraduate ceremony; Noubar Afeyan, founder of Flagship Pioneering and co-founder and chair of Moderna, graduate ceremony