Category: Commencement
Tom Wolfe Keynote
Celebrated novelist, journalist, and commentator Tom Wolfe speaks at Commencement.
“In his novels, frequently compared to the work of Charles Dickens, Mr. Wolfe has led his readers through the thickets of greed and honor, love and suspicion, that sometimes seem to be the natural habitat of the modern American. There is no writer living today better prepared than Mr. Wolfe to cast a discerning eye on the world.”—President Westling
Henry Kissinger Keynote
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger focuses on leadership in his address to more than 5,400 graduates and 20,000 guests during the 126th Boston University Commencement.
"The task of any leader is to take a society from where it is to where it has never been, which is a lonely task, requiring much courage. That too is the challenge before us. And this is why John Silber has been such an inspiration to me."—Henry A. Kissinger
Gary Locke Keynote
Commencement speaker Gary Locke (LAW'75), governor of Washington and first Asian-American governor in the country, told the 5,000-plus degree candidates who filled Nickerson Field on May 17 that they were the American dream personified.
In 2009, US President Barak Obama chose Gary Locke as his new Secretary of Commerce, and he was sworn into office on March 26, 2009.
"Our family story is no different from the stories of every family here—whether you are a first-generation immigrant or a sixth. Your stories are made of similar journeys—journeys fueled by the American dream of freedom, hope, and opportunity. And this Commencement ceremony is what generation after generation of Americans and people all across the globe have dreamed of and sacrificed for."—Gary Locke
Juan Julio Wicht Rossel Keynote
Jesuit priest Juan Julio Wicht Rossel, S. J., addresses the graduating class at Commencement.
Chancellor John Silber Keynote
Chancellor John Silber delivers the Keynote Address at Commencement.
President John Silber Keynote
President John Silber addresses the graduating class at Commencement.
Ross Perot Keynote
Ross Perot, the Texas businessman who won 19 percent of the popular vote for President in 1992, addresses Boston University graduates at Commencement.
Reverend Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood Keynote
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood, a senior pastor at St. Paul Community Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York, delivers the main Commencement address to more than 15,000 guests. Boston University confers 2,834 undergraduate and 2,440 graduate and professional degrees at the outdoor ceremonies.
Mario Vargas Llosa Keynote
Renowned Peruvian novelist and politician Mario Vargas Llosa delivered the Keynote Address at Commencement and urged more than 5,000 graduating Boston University students to go out into the world and make a difference by upholding liberty and fighting against discrimination and violence of all kinds.
"This great university, your alma mater, is an example of the best that our culture has to offer. It has equipped you to face great obstacles in many areas. Stand up to the occasion, and make the world a better place."—Mario Vargas Llosa
Eduard A. Shevardnadze Keynote
Eduard A. Shevardnadze, the former Soviet Foreign Minister, told Boston University graduates during his Commencement Address that the Cold War had promoted a national psychosis in both the United States and the Soviet Union because "we were capable of destroying all life on Earth." As a result of having survived that War, "the Soviet and Americans are very close to each other spiritually in how they visualize common human horizons," he said, speaking through a translator.
