Who's talking to college grads this year? Dan Rather, Al Gore and Terry Gross to name a few
Many area colleges have announced their commencement speakers. Told you on Sunday about Condoleezza Rice's controversial, upcoming appearance at Rutgers. Here is a look at some other speakers.
Who's speaking at college commencement ceremonies this year? I told you in Sunday's paper about Condoleezza Rice's upcoming controversial appearance at Rutgers.
Several other schools have announced some big names as well. News anchor Dan Rather will speak to graduates of Temple's School of Media and Communications.
Al Gore will address Princeton seniors the day before commencement, and Bryn Mawr has lined up NPR host Terry Gross.
Here's a running list of speakers:
* Community College of Philadelphia: May 3
Jotaka L. Eaddy, Senior Advisor to the President and CEO and Senior Director for Voting Rights for the NAACP
* Penn State Abington: May 9
Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman
* Penn State Great Valley: May 9
Madlyn L. Hanes, vice president for Commonwealth Campuses and dean of the University College
* Lincoln University: May 9
Stacey Davis Stewart, the first black woman to serve as U.S. President of United Way Worldwide
* Penn State Brandywine: May 10
Renee Amoore, president and CEO, The Amoore Group
For more information on speakers at multiple commencement ceremonies on Penn State's main campus, see: http://news.psu.edu/story/310832/2014/04/07/academics/penn-state-announces-spring-2014-commencement-events-and-speakers
* Franklin & Marshall College: May 10
"Good Morning America" anchor George Stephanopoulos
* West Chester University: May 10
Brigadier General Carol Eggert, Assistant Adjutant General, Joint Force Headquarters, Pennsylvania National Guard and also Deputy Commanding General, Reserve Affairs, at the United States Army War College
* Cheyney University: May 10
Randall Pickett, co-founder, chairman and CEO of BCT Partners, a multimillion dollar management, technology and policy consulting firm based in Newark, NJ, and the Season 4 winner of NBC's "The Apprentice" with Donald Trump.
* Eastern University: May 10
Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals
* Rosemont: May 10
Yale scholar Mary Evelyn Tucker
* Chestnut Hill College: May 10
Tracy Davidson, NBC-10 journalist
* Gwynedd Mercy University: May 10
Susan Kiely, CEO and Founder of Women with a Cause
* Temple University: May 15
President Neil Theobald and three honorary degree recipients: Temple trustee and entrepreneur Lewis Katz (also part owner of the company that publishes The Inquirer), singer/songwriter/actress and poet Jill Scott and scientist/inventor James West.
In addition, Temple's individual schools will have separate speakers, including news anchor Dan Rather, who will address graduates in the School of Media and Communications.
* Arcadia University: May 16
Ellen Schecter, Emmy-award winning author and producer of several projects, including Reading Rainbow
* Rowan University: May 16
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
* Neumann University: May 17
Rocco Abessinio, former Neumann University trustee and graduate and president and CEO of Applied Bank and his wife, Mary.
Deacon Daniel DeLucca, president emeritus of Alvernia University and former trustee of Neumann.
* St. Joseph's University: May 17
David Hollenbach, S.J. '64, Ph.D, member of the theology department at Boston College, university chair in Human Rights and International Justice and director of the Center for Human Rights and International Justice
* Bryn Mawr College: May 17
Terry Gross, host of National Public Radio's Fresh Air
* Widener University: May 17
Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi
* Delaware Valley College: May 17
Corey Ciocchetti, associate professor of business ethics and legal studies at the University of Denver
* Camden County College: May 17
Jeffrey Brenner, M.D., recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Fellows "genius" grant and the founder and executive director of the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers
* Philadelphia University: May 17
Jeff Selingo, author of "College (Un)Bound: The Future of Higher Education and What It Means for Students" and contributing editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education
* Burlington County College: May 17
John Harmon, president and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey
* Haverford College: May 18
Poet and scholar Elizabeth Alexander; Robert Birgeneau, former president of the University of Toronto and former chancellor of University of California Berkeley; former Princeton president William G. Bowen; and environmental protection advocate Fredd Krupp
* Gratz College: May 18
Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr.
* Rutgers University: May 18
Condoleezza Rice, the first African-American female secretary of state and Stanford professor
* Cabrini College: May 18
Lisa Johnson Nutter, President of Philadelphia Academies, Inc. and wife of Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter
* Immaculata University: May 18
Ed Herr, president of Herr Foods Inc
* Moore College of Art & Design: May 18
Judith Tannenbaum, the RISD Museum's first curator of contemporary art.
* University of Pennsylvania: May 19
John Legend, Penn alum and songwriter and musician
* University of the Sciences: May 21
Lawrence Liberti, BS'76, MS'78, RPh, executive director for the Centre for Innovation in Regulatory Science
* Bucks County Community College: May 22
Charles Meredith III, publisher and newspaper columnist
* Lafayette College: May 24
The Most Honorable Portia Simpson Miller, prime minister of Jamaica
* University of Delaware: May 31
Vice President Joe Biden
* Swarthmore College: June 1
Scholar and writer Thomas Laqueur '67,
Documentary photographer and professor Barbara "Bobbie" Norfleet '47,
vocalist and composer Vaneese Thomas '74, and
Congressman Chris Van Hollen '83
* Princeton: June 3
President Christopher Eisgruber
Note: Al Gore will be the class day speaker, the day before commencement
* Peirce College: June 9
Sharmain Matlock-Turner, president and CEO of the Urban Affairs Coalition