Hartford Business Journal

14 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MAY 15, 2023 U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) addressed Universtiy of St. Joseph students during their graduation last year. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Raising The Bar Colleges use commencement speakers to boost profile, inspire students By Robert Storace C ollege graduation ceremonies are now underway across Connecticut, which means schools are featuring keynote speakers that aim to inspire the next generation. While some might consider them part of commencement ceremony lore, speakers are often much more than that to colleges. Attracting top, recognizable names can put a university in the limelight and sustain media attention for years. For example, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' 2005 commencement address at Stanford has received over 41 million pageviews and 24,000 comments on YouTube. Numerous comments were posted in recent days, weeks and months. Elite colleges like Harvard and Yale often battle it out for the most prestigious speakers: Tom Hanks is scheduled to speak at Harvard's 2023 commencement on May 24, while acclaimed poet Elizabeth Alexander will speak at Yale's May 21 ceremony in New Haven. Other Connecticut colleges also compete for top-name speakers. But even local schools that don't get former presidents or high-profile celebrities, still view commencement speakers as an important way to promote their brand to current and future students, as well as alumni who serve as the all-important donor base. Hartford's Trinity College has a track record of recruiting big-name graduation speakers, including former President Jimmy Carter in 1998. In 2019, Boston Red Sox Pres- ident and CEO Samuel Kennedy spoke to graduating students. Actor, academy-award winning filmmaker and 1996 alum Will McCormack addressed Trinity grads in 2020. This year's speaker — 1992 alumna Nicole Hockley, co-founder and CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation — will address students at their May 21 graduation. Trinity College Associate Vice President for External Affairs Jason Rojas said the liberal arts school livestreams all commencement speeches, records them for archival purposes, and shares them online. He noted that when President Carter recently entered hospice care, WNPR asked for more than two-de- cade-old footage of his address to Trinity students. "Commencement speakers build greater awareness among prospective families and prospective students who might want to have Trinity College on their list of potential institutions they'd like to attend," Rojas said. Capturing the moment Colleges tend to spend six to nine months figuring out and then recruiting speakers, who typically reflect a school's values. Most speakers are chosen by selection committees that consist of various constituents, including faculty, staff, alumni, commu- nity leaders and even students. Some schools pay for high-profile speakers, but most don't. Officials at the University of Hartford, Trinity College, Central Connecticut State University and the University of St. Joseph said they do not pay their speakers, but they do cover hotel, food and airfare expenses. Barrett Cordero, president of California-based speaking bureau BigSpeak, said commencement speeches have grown in popularity over the last two decades because colleges use them for marketing/ brand develop- ment, community engagement and student-body connection. "And, big-name speakers get everyone's attention — their speeches usually get ample online views once shared on social media or platforms like YouTube," Cordero said. "It ultimately elevates a traditional ceremony and makes it more memorable." Jason Rojas Barrett Cordero

• Cover