Baccalaureate service

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A baccalaureate service is an American event which features a speech or series of speeches given to a graduating senior class from a college or high school. The speeches are often, but not necessarily, of a religious nature, almost invariably Christian.

The Baccalaureate service derives from the medieval European custom of presenting the candidates for the degree of Bachelor (bacca) with laurels (lauri) of sermonic oration. The Baccalaureate ceremony is a service of worship in celebration of and thanksgiving for lives dedicated to learning and wisdom.

The Baccalaureate Service is believed to have originated at Oxford University in 1432 when each bachelor was required to deliver a sermon in Latin as part of his academic exercise. Since the earliest universities in America were founded primarily to educate ministers, the British practice of the Baccalaureate Service was continued.

The service is held within a few days of the graduation ceremony, often on the Sunday or Wednesday night immediately preceding graduation. At some colleges and universities they are held directly before the graduation. Speakers selected to give speeches tend to be respected community leaders, faculty members (often selected by the graduating class), students, or local religious leaders. These speeches are often intermixed with musical performances, drama, and worship. Baccalaureate addresses can range in length from under half an hour to as long as four hours.

Because of Supreme Court rulings regarding the separation of church and state, baccalaureate services are not officially school-sponsored events. However, many public schools have student-initiated services, fully permitted under law.