During Saturday's Baccalaureate Service, an honorary degree recipient will deliver the Baccalaureate keynote address to the undergraduate Class of 2025. On College Green on Commencement afternoon, two members of the senior class, selected by a faculty committee, deliver short orations. The Graduate Student Council selects student speakers for the Master’s and Doctoral ceremonies. The medical students select one of their peers to address their graduating class in the First Unitarian Church.
Commencement
Speakers and Honorees
The addresses you’ll hear at Commencement will inspire and move you.
Speakers and Honorees
The addresses you’ll hear at Commencement will inspire and move you.
Brown’s baccalaureate tradition derives from the wide range of religious, ethnic, geographic, linguistic and musical traditions present within the campus community.
Since its beginning in 1769, Brown’s Commencement has always featured graduating seniors as the principal speakers.
Master’s and doctoral student speakers share narratives that reflect the experiences, training and sense of purpose inherent in the pursuit of advanced study.
Speakers at the medical school ceremony include a faculty member and member of the graduating class, who reflects on the class's journey into medicine and how their Brown medical education will shape their practice as physicians.
Each year, Brown bestows honorary degrees on a diverse group of scholars, artists and leaders recognized for exceptional achievement.