CALL FOR SPEAKERS

COMMENCEMENT SENIOR SPEAKER

The Bates Commencement is an unforgettable event. Surrounded by your friends, family, faculty, and other people who love you, you will strike out from the Quad into a new chapter of your life.

One of the most meaningful moments in the Commencement ceremony is the address delivered by a member of the senior class. The senior speaker reflects on the Bates experience, and speaks to those gathered on behalf of the class. It’s a great honor and a wonderful opportunity to share your thoughts.

Would you make a great senior speaker?

We are currently searching for the 2020 senior speaker for Commencement. Consider it!

SENIOR SPEAKER SELECTION

1) If you are interested in delivering the senior address, please contact Kerry O’Brien (kobrien@bates.edu) in the Dean of the Faculty’s Office by February 15.

2) Draft your speech during the semester or over February break. All speeches must be submitted via email to Kerry O’Brien by Monday, February 24, at 11:59 PM.

3) By early March, the Senior Speaker Selection Committee will review all submitted speeches and select three to four finalists.

4) In late March, the finalists will present their speech to Senior Speaker Selection Committee, which will select the speaker.

5) The committee will select the senior speaker by the end of winter semester.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER
~ Your speech should be reflective of the excellence and rigor of a Bates education.

~ A great speech blends the specific (a personal story) with the general or universal (world of ideas, your broader communities).

~ Your speech should be respectful of the occasion of Commencement and of all the community gathered.

~ Your speech should be 5 to 7 minutes in length.

THE SPEAKER WE SELECT
will present an address that is an authentic expression of an experience or way of thinking formed by Bates.

For more info, to nominate a senior, or to indicate your interest in serving as speaker, please contact Kerry O’Brien (kobrien@bates.edu).