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]
Contents
Some notable speeches[edit]
- 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]
2016 speeches[edit]
- Steven Spielberg, Harvard[8][9]
- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas at Hillsdale College's[15]
2017 speeches[edit]
- Donald Trump, Liberty University 05/13/2017[16]
- Hillary Rodham Clinton, Wellesley College 05/26/17[17][18][19]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Trendl, Anthony. "What Makes a Commencement Speech?".
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ 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
- ^ Holly Foster (May 22, 2016). "PayPal Co-Founder Peter Thiel Urges Class of 2016 to "Do What Hasn't Been Done"". Hamilton.edu. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE0VYRPTUrc
- ^ http://wrencollege.blogspot.com/2016/05/2016-wren-college-commencement-address.html?spref=tw[dead link]
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22NhSu1IxwY
- ^ https://www.hillsdale.edu/commencement-2016/
- ^ "Trump at Liberty University commencement: 'In America, we don't worship government; we worship God'". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
- ^ Bidgood, Jess; Seelye, Katharine Q. (2017-05-26). "At Wellesley, Hillary Clinton Criticizes Trump and Invokes Nixon Resignation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
- ^ Diamond, Anna. "What Hillary Clinton Said to the Wellesley Class of 2017". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
- ^ "Commencement Address". Wellesley College. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
External links[edit]
- The art of the commencement speech, an archive
- Excerpts from commencement speeches by Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and J.K. Rowling
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