Liberal speakers dominate 2023 commencement speeches at top colleges

The nation’s top colleges and universities are once again eschewing conservative speakers for the commencement addresses heard by the class of 2023 as liberal speakers are being honored at numerous schools.

The Washington Examiner reviewed the commencement speakers at several of the nation’s top schools, and conservative speakers were invited to two schools. Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) will deliver the commencement address at George Mason University, and former Maryland GOP Gov. Larry Hogan will address graduates of American University’s School of Public Affairs.

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In contrast, many prominent Democratic politicians, liberal Hollywood actors, legacy media reporters, and government officials have been invited by the nation’s most prestigious schools. President Joe Biden is scheduled to address graduates at the U.S. Air Force Academy and Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Georgetown University is slated to host several speakers for its 2023 commencement exercises, with NBC News personalities providing a substantial presence. MSNBC host Ayman Mohyeldin will address Georgetown University in Qatar, NBC News Washington correspondent Yamiche Alcindor will receive an honorary doctorate in humane letters from the College of Arts and Sciences, and NBC’s Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie will receive an honorary doctorate of laws from Georgetown Law School.

The Ivy League colleges largely elected to invite high-profile sports and entertainment personalities. Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks will deliver the address at Harvard, while Broadway star Idina Menzel is scheduled to speak to the University of Pennsylvania’s class of 2023. Poet Elizabeth Alexander will address graduates at Yale, and actor Ken Jeong will speak to students at Cornell.

The lone Ivy League school to honor a politician at its general commencement is Princeton, which invited Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) to deliver the 2023 commencement address. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona will speak at Columbia Teachers College.

Tennis legend John McEnroe will address the graduating class at Stanford, a school that has found itself repeatedly mired in free speech controversy over the past few months, while the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, will honor actor and comedian Patton Oswalt.

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Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, one year into her lifetime tenure on the nation’s high court, will address graduates at two law schools this year. Boston University and American University law schools invited the court’s newest justice to their 2023 commencements.

Elsewhere, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will address graduates at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, former Colombian President and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Juan Manuel Santos will speak at Notre Dame, and NBC News host Lester Holt will address the class of 2023 at Villanova.