Dear Members of the Campus Community,
As we look forward to our 2023 Commencement and Convocation ceremonies, we invite you to submit your nominations of graduating seniors and graduate students to speak at this May’s Commencement weekend. Among our most cherished highlights of ceremonies past have been the inspiring and timely remarks from our graduates.
For each nomination, please include the name of the student you are nominating and a paragraph explaining why the student would be a good speaker. Nominations must be submitted to the Academic Dean’s Office (academicdeans@pugetsound.edu) no later than Friday, March 3, 2023. The criteria that have been established by the university for the speakers, the screening process, and the committee membership are described below.
Criteria for Student Speakers:
1. Spring 2023 graduate, either as an undergraduate or graduate degree recipient.
2. Earned record of academic distinction (demonstrated by GPA of 3.5 or above, as of Fall 2022, or narrative explanation of academic trajectory).
3. Broad involvement in academic and campus life.
4. Commitment to preparing a five-minute speech on the responsibilities of a broadly educated person in society today, with special reference to the significance of a Puget Sound education.
Selection Committee Process:
1. Nominees will be asked to provide the selection committee with a brief statement about their campus activities and the themes they might address in a Commencement/Convocation speech.
2. Four to six finalists will be selected by the first week of April.
3. The finalists will deliver a brief speech to (and be interviewed by) the selection committee in April.
4. A selection of two to three student speakers, one undergraduate and/or graduate student for Commencement and one undergraduate student for the Academic Convocation, will be made by the end of April. At that time, the selected speakers will be notified and provided comments and suggestions.
Committee Membership:
Dean of Faculty Affairs Julie Christoph will convene the Selection Committee. The committee includes professors Gareth Barkin (Associate Academic Dean), Nick Brody (Communication Studies), and Shelly Norvell (Occupational Therapy); Alumni and Parent Relations representative Jacob McKinney '20; Moe Stevens from Student Affairs; and graduating seniors Jennah DeCorso and Langston Aron.
We look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of all our graduates in this most memorable year during Commencement weekend, and look forward to receiving your nominations.
Isiaah Crawford, Ph.D. | President