The university announced a new method of selecting commencement speakers for the commencement ceremony in an email sent to community members on Feb. 11. The new approach is intended to highlight students who have “demonstrated commendable accomplishments during their time at Brandeis,” according to the email.
“This important event is the only time when the entire university community is able to gather together to recognize our graduates, making this an occasion for meaningful celebration,” wrote the administration about commencement in the email.
The new method will be applied to both the undergraduate and graduate student speakers. Typically, every commencement ceremony has one undergraduate and one graduate student speak on behalf of their class. Commencement speakers “reflect the distinctive qualities of the graduating class, demonstrating academic excellence, leadership in their activities and a commitment to improving the world around them,” according to the email.
The new process will allow faculty, staff and students to nominate candidate speakers and will allow for the chosen speakers to receive guidance from faculty and staff as they write their speeches, according to the email. Students will also be able to nominate themselves in this selection process.
Those being nominated to speak must have either received or intended to receive a degree from August 2021, February 2022 or May 2022, according to the email. Another requirement is that students must be in good academic and community standing.
According to the email, “The undergraduate and graduate students ultimately selected to speak at Commencement will receive a cash prize of one thousand dollars for their accomplishments, funded by the endowed Richard Kaufman ‘58 Memorial Prize for Leadership and Academic Excellence.”
The Richard Kaufman ‘58 Memorial Prize for Leadership and Academic Excellence is typically awarded to students who, “demonstrate leadership in campus activities and who, through academic achievement, exemplifies the well-rounded student who is likely to have a lifelong interest in his/ her/ their fellows,” according to a BrandeisNow article on academic achievement awards.
Students will be notified if they have been nominated on a rolling basis, but no later than March 2, according to the email. Student nominees are expected to submit a draft of their speech no later than Monday, March 21 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Drafts of speeches will then be revised by selection committees composed of faculty, staff and students. The undergraduate selection committee will be led by Meredith Monaghan, Director of Academic Fellowships. The graduate selection committee will be led by Matthew Sheehy, University Librarian, according to the email.
Nomination forms will be open until March 1 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, there are two separate nomination forms one for undergraduate students and one for graduate students.
The email regarding the new process was sent out by Carol Fierke, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dorothy Hodgson, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, Wendy Cadge, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Kathryn Graddy, Dean of the Brandeis International Business School, David Weil, Dean of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management and Raymond Lu-Ming Ou, Vice President for Student Affairs.
