From attracting famous actors to star athletes and politicians, higher education leaders know that choosing the right person to deliver a commencement address can both enhance the celebration and shine a national spotlight on their institutions. These are the confirmed big names so far that are scheduled to be 2022 spring commencement speakers at colleges and universities across the nation (this list will be updated):
- Augustana College: Dick Durbin, Illinois senator
- Bard College: Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior
- Brandeis University: Deval Patrick, former governor of Massachusetts
- Boston College: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece
- Cape Cod Community College: Marc Randolph, CEO and co-founder of Netflix
- Case Western Reserve University: Justin Bibb, Cleveland mayor
- Clark University: Mary Frances Berry, civil rights activist
- Columbia International University: Mike Pence, former U.S. Vice President
- Cornell University: Constance Wu, actress
- Dartmouth College: Russell Wilson, NFL quareterback
- Drexel University: Freeman Hrabowski III, President of University of Maryland-Baltimore County
- Duke University: Mary Barra, General Motors CEO
- Emory University: Tyler Perry, actor, producer, author and philanthropist
- Endicott College: Marty Walsh, U.S. Secretary of Labor
- Gallaudet University: Tim Cook, Apple CEO
- Harvard Kennedy School: Maia Sandu, Moldova President
- Harvard Law School: Loretta Lynch, former U.S. Attorney General
- Harvard University: Jacinda Arden, New Zealand Prime Minister (Merrick Garland, U.S. Attorney General, for 2020 and 2021 classes)
- Huston-Tillotson University: Alma Adams, U.S. House Representative
- High Point University: Daniel Lubetzky, founder of KIND Snacks
- Johns Hopkins University: Samantha Power, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development
- Loyola Marymount University: Abby Wambach, U.S. soccer gold medalist
- Loyola University New Orleans: Sean Payton, former New Orleans Saints coach
- Marquette University: Dwyane Wade, former NBA player
- Middlebury College: Jason Collins, former NBA player (2020 commencement)
- MIT: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization
- Morehouse College: Raphael Warnock, U.S. Senator
- New England Institute of Technology: Henry Winkler, actor
- New York Law School: Judge Judy Sheindlin
- New York University: Taylor Swift, singer
- Northeastern University: Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani greek yogurt
- Norwich University: Deshauna Barber, former U.S. Army Captain and Miss USA
- Ohio State University: Patrick Gelsinger, Intel CEO
- Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University: Herbie Hancock, musician
- Princeton University: Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease specialist
- Regent University: Glenn Youngkin, Governor of Virginia
- Roger Williams University: Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease specialist
- Rutgers University: David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker
- Southern Utah University: Condeleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State
- Spelman College: Stacey Abrams, Georgia candidate for governor
- Springfield College: Billie Jean King, former tennis star
- Syracuse University: David Muir, ABC News anchor
- SUNY-Potsdam: Bernie Williams, former baseball player, New York Yankees
- Tennessee State University: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris
- Tulane University: Ken Jeong, actor and comedian
- U.S. Naval Academy: President Joe Biden
- University of California at San Diego: Jessica Meir, NASA astronaut
- University of Delaware: President Joe Biden
- University of Florida: Tim Tebow, athlete/TV personality
- University of Georgia: Ed Bastian, Delta Airlines CEO
- University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign: Jill Ellis, former U.S. women’s soccer coach
- University of Maryland: Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid author and cartoonist
- University of Maryland-Baltimore County: Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease specialist
- University of Massachusetts at Boston: Michelle Wu, Boston mayor
- University of Michigan: Maria Shriver, journalist
- University of New England: Jonathan Haidt, founder of Heterodox Academy
- University of Notre Dame: Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State
- University of Pennsylvania: Ken Burns, documentary filmmaker
- University of Portland: Kunal Nyyar, actor on “The Big Bang Theory”
- University of Southern California: Allyson Felix, Olympic track gold medalist
- University of Texas: Emmanuel Acho, Emmy award-winning TV host
- University of Utah: Doug Bowser, President of Nintendo of America
- University of Wisconsin-Madison: Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
- Utah State University: Thomas Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
- Vanderbilt University: Reed Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn
- Vassar College: John Leguizamo, actor
- Virginia Tech University: Glenn Youngkin, Virginia governor
- Wesleyan University: Freeman Hrabowski III, President of University of Maryland-Baltimore County
- Williams College: Jon Meacham, Pulitzer-Prize winning biographer
- Worcester State University: Ilyasah Shabazz, writer/author and daughter of MalcolmX
