Graduation

About the Student Speaker

The Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development will salute its bachelor, master's degree and sixth-year certificate candidates at ceremonies on Wednesday, May 14, 2008, at Radio City Music Hall. These ceremonies are a formal recognition of academic achievements and the special contributions graduating students have made to our NYU community. As part of the program, one graduating senior and one graduating graduate student will be selected to speak on behalf of his/her class.

If you would like to be considered for this special honor, please submit the text of a graduation speech no later than Tuesday, January 22, 2008 at 5:00 pm No specific format or topic is preferred. The speech may be serious, humorous, personal or more general, but it may be no more than 3 minutes long. The selection committee is, however, interested in a speech that will resonate with the entire audience - including the graduates of our undergraduate and graduate programs in education, health, communication, and the arts, as well as parents, faculty and staff.

To be eligible to apply you must:

  • Be a Steinhardt student eligible for September 2007, January 2008 or May 2008 graduation
  • If you are an undergraduate student, be able to attend the NYUSteinhardt Baccalaureate Ceremony on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 3:30 am
  • If you are a graduate student, be able to attend the NYUSteinhardt Valedictory Ceremony on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 7:00 pm
  • Be able to present your speech before the NYUSteinhardt Student Affairs Committee on February 4, 2008 at 10:00 am
  • Submit a hard copy of your speech with your full name, contact information and student identification number by Tuesday, January 22, 2008 at 5:00 pm to:

Becky Ahlstrom
NYUSteinhardt
Office of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Pless Hall, Second Floor
82 Washington Square East
New York, NY 10003-6680

A committee will review all eligible applications that are received by January 22, 2008, and finalists will be contacted by January 28, 2008. Finalists will present their speeches before the Student Affairs Committee on February 4, 2008 at 10 a.m. The Student Affairs Committee will select and notify the Student Speaker and the Alternate Student Speaker.

Click on the appropriate link to download an instruction sheet: undergraduate students or graduate students