The Baccalaureate Service, with roots in medieval academic tradition, honors the achievements of the candidates for the bachelor’s (“bacca”) degree by presenting them with the laurels (“lauri”) of oration.
Commencement
Baccalaureate Speaker
Brown’s baccalaureate tradition derives from the wide range of religious, ethnic, geographic, linguistic and musical traditions present within the campus community.
Baccalaureate Speaker
Brown’s baccalaureate tradition derives from the wide range of religious, ethnic, geographic, linguistic and musical traditions present within the campus community.
2024 Baccalaureate Speaker
The 2024 Baccalaureate address will be given by Jessica Meir ’99, a marine biologist and NASA astronaut who made history as part of the first all-woman spacewalk.
Learn More About the Baccalaureate Service
Brown University’s Baccalaureate Service embraces lively expressions of thanksgiving, harmony and rhythm and includes music, dance and spiritual readings.
Past Speakers
Recent speakers have included, among others:
- Carlos Lejnieks, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters
- Steven R. Jordan, NFL Player and business leader
- John Krasinksi, actor
- Daveed Diggs, performer, rapper and writer
- Kevin Gover, director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian
- Robert Corrigan, former San Francisco State University president
- Nalini Moreshwar Nadkarni, forest ecologist and science advocate
- Beverly Wade Hogan, Tougaloo College President
https://www.youtube.com/embed/i4pKxOStxUE
Carlos Lejnieks
CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters