Commencement speech
A commencement speech or commencement address is a speech given to graduating students, generally at a university, generally in the US, 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]
- Richard Feynman at Caltech in 1974
- Steve Jobs at Stanford University in 2005[4]
- David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College in 2005: This Is Water
- J. K. Rowling at Harvard University in 2008: The Fringe Benefits of Failure[5]
- Neil Gaiman at University of the Arts in 2012[6]
- Rainn Wilson at University of Southern California in 2014: "Why Happiness is like Cotton Candy"[7] (Huffington Post)
- Jimmy Page at Berklee College of Music in 2014
See also
References
- ↑ Trendl, Anthony. "What Makes a Commencement Speech?".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "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.
- ↑ "'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 (YouTube). Harvard Magazine. Transcript
- ↑ "Neil Gaiman: Keynote Address 2012". University of the Arts. May 17, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ↑
External links
- The art of the commencement speech, an archive
- A selection of speeches from 2005 from C-SPAN
- Excerpts from commencement speeches by Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and J.K. Rowling