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
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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 the California Institute of Technology in 1974 : "Cargo cult science"
- 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]
- Troian Bellisario at the University of Southern California in 2014[2]
- Rainn Wilson at University of Southern California in 2014: "Why Happiness is like Cotton Candy"[7] (Huffington Post)
See also
References
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<references />, or <references group="..." />External links
- 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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- ↑ J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement (YouTube). Harvard Magazine. Transcript
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- ↑ [1]
