College Commencement Speakers For 2023: Hanks At Harvard, Marsalis At Michigan, Cheney At Colorado College

With college commencements only two months away, several institutions are announcing the speakers and honorary degree recipients for their spring ceremonies. As usual, the list includes prominent political leaders, journalists, public figures, and performers. Here’s a list of some of the headliners who have already been announced.

Actor, filmmaker, and two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks will be the principal speaker at Harvard University’s 372nd Commencement on May 25. Calling him “a true master of his craft,” Harvard President Larry Bacow said, “Tom Hanks has given life to some of the most compelling, beloved, and iconic characters on the screen. “Over five decades, he has entertained, enlightened, and befriended us. He has made us laugh, cry, question, and think.” Harvard will also award an honorary degree to Hanks.

World-renowned jazz musician Wynton Marsalis will be the University of Michigan’s commencement speaker on April 29. Marsalis will be one of four recipients of an honorary degree who will be recognized at the event. Mary Sue Coleman, University of Michigan president emerita, is another of the honorees.

Marsalis was also chosen to be the featured speaker at this year’s commencement at Colgate University.

Several current and former public officials have been tabbed to speak at commencement exercises. They include:

• Former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney, who will speak at Colorado College, from which she graduated with a political science degree in 1988. Cheney was recently named a professor of practice at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
• Nobel Peace Prize recipient Juan Manuel Santos, the president of Colombia from 2010 to 2018, will be the principal speaker and receive an honorary degree at the University of Notre Dame’s 178th University commencement ceremony.
• Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker will speak at Northwestern University. “We’re honored to welcome Gov. JB Pritzker back to campus as this year’s commencement speaker," said Northwestern President Michael Schill. "He’s not only the governor of our great state of Illinois, he’s a graduate of Northwestern Law, and along with his wife, MK, a longtime supporter of the University."
• Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland, will Speak at New York University’s 2023 Commencement. She will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters at the ceremony. Other honorary degree recipients will include the Nobel-Winning Chemist Carolyn Bertozzi, ABT Principal Dancer Misty Copeland, and University of Maryland, Baltimore County President Emeritus Freeman A. Hrabowski.

Other well-known figures who’ve been selected to address this spring’s college graduates include:

• Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary and assistant to the president, will deliver the 2023 commencement address at Rice University on May 6.
• Idina Menzel, the Tony-Award winning actress, singer/songwriter, producer, and author, will speak at the University of Pennsylvania’s commencement, where she will also be recognized with an honorary degree.
• Journalist and NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt will be the speaker at Villanova University’s commencement. Holt will also receive an honorary degree at the ceremony.
• Adam Silver, the Commissioner of the National Basketball Association, will speak at Duke Univeristy. Silver is a 1984 Duke graduate.
• Vanderbilt University’s Graduates Day speaker will be the journalist and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria A. Ressa.
• Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff will be the keynote speaker at Boston College Law School’s 2023 commencement on May 26.
• Award-winning broadcast journalist Gayle King was selected by her alma mater, the University of Maryland, to address its graduates this spring.
• Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin will be Marquette University’s undergraduate commencement speaker on May 20. Matlin will also receive an honorary doctor of fine arts degree at the ceremony.