So what colleges and universities are getting the hottest graduation speakers in 2010? Here are some of the top ticket Class of 2010 commencement speakers.
Tulane University: CNN Anchor Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper, the CNN anchor best known for his Anderson Cooper 360 program, will deliver the 2010 commencement address at Tulane University in New Orleans on May 15, 2010. Cooper's speech will follow 2009's memorably humorous and touching speech by Louisiana native Ellen DeGeneres.
The speech and speaker are especially noteworthy because many of the students in attendance were there during Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, and because Anderson Cooper is well known for this extensive and emotional coverage of the disaster. The speech will be held in the Louisiana Superdome, which became an icon during Katrina when it housed over 30,000 stranded people as the "shelter of last resort" from the hurricane.
Stanford University: United National Ambassador Susan Rice
Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will deliver the commencement address at Standford University on June 13, 2010. Rice is a 1986 graduation of Stanford, where she majored in history and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. She was also the recipient of a prestigious Truman Scholarship, an award given to college juniors with leadership and public service potential. After graduation, Rice became a Rhodes Scholar.
Rice previously served as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under the Clinton Administration, where she also served on the National Security Council. She is also a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a well-known Washington think tank that researches economics and foreign policy issues.
Notre Dame University: NBC Anchor Brian Williams
Notre Dame has a lot to live up to in 2010, as its 2010 speaker was President Barack Obama (who delivered a memorable, well-received speech despite protests from pro-life groups). This year, the graduation speaker is Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News since 2004.
Williams is well known for his White House coverage, and also for being the only journalist to report from inside the Superdome during Hurricane Katrina. The popular news anchor is known for his youth appeal. Williams is a regular on The Daily Show and has appeared on Saturday Night Live and on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: Author John Grisham
John Grisham, monumental bestselling author of legal thrillers such as The Firm and The Pelican Brief, will be delivering the commencement address at UNC on May 9, 2010. A former lawyer, Grisham has become one of the best known contemporary American authors, and is primarily known for his legal thrillers featuring young Southern lawyers who buck the systemUNC is unusual in that it does not pay commencement speakers; nonetheless, the school has had no shortage of prestigious speakers, including Bishop Desmond Tutu in 2009.
Although Grisham's primary residence is in Mississippi, he has become a fixture around Chapel Hill in recent years, and recently purchased a home in the city. Speaking at UNC's graduation holds personal significance for Grisham because his wife is currently a student there and his daughter is a recent graduate.
Duke University: Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus
Muhammad Yunus, a banker and economists from Bangladesh who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, will be the commencement speaker at Duke University on May 16, 2010. Yunus founded an economic movement called the microcredit movement, which involves lending money to entrepreneurs who are far too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans. This strategy has been remarkably successful in lifting thousands of people out of poverty. Yunus is the founder of Grameen America, an organization similar to his pilot organization in Bangladesh, which offers credit and similar services to Americans who live below the poverty line.
Time will tell who gave the most memorable and inspirational speeches for the Class of 2010. Best of luck to the graduating seniors, no matter what speaker is there to impart them with words of wisdom!
See also: 2009 College Graduation Speeches
Naomi Rockler-Gladen - Instructional designer and freelance writer, Naomi Rockler-Gladen writes some of Suite101's most read work.
