Apply to speak at Comencement, Student Awards

All Graduating Seniors:

It has been a long-standing Heidelberg tradition for a graduating senior to speak at the spring Student Awards Celebration. For the past 26 years a senior has also given brief remarks at Commencement, as will a speaker from one of the graduate programs.

The Student Awards Celebration 2024 will be held on Friday, April 26, at 3:00 p.m. Families of award recipients will be invited to attend. The Student Awards Celebration speech is to be 5-7 minutes in length. The Commencement remarks for the ceremony Sunday, May 12, at 10:00 a.m., in Hoernemann Stadium are also to be 5-7 minutes. Applications and outlines will be reviewed, and the Commencement Speaker Selection Committee, composed of faculty, administrators, and several members of the Student Senate, will hear the speeches on Friday, March 22, between 3:30 and 6:00 p.m. to determine the Commencement speaker. The speaker for the Student Awards Ceremony will be selected from the remaining candidates.

You may apply to give either speech or both, but you will only be selected to present one. Please remember that your audience is not just your classmates. It also includes family members, faculty, staff, administrators, members of the Board of Trustees, honored guests, and alumni. If you are interested in giving either of the two speeches, please complete the online form by 11:59 pm on Monday, March 18, 2024, uploading a rough outline of your remarks. (Do not submit a complete script at this time.)

If you have any questions, please email Dr. Robin Heaton at rheaton@heidelberg.edu. You will be notified of your March 22 speaking time by email.

All applicants will present a written copy of their completed speech to the Commencement Speaker Selection Committee on Friday, March 22, 2024.