Who's who at the podium at commencement this year?
It's cap-and-gown season again, as the Class of 2025 across Rhode Island's many institutions of higher education prepare to walk the stage and receive a shiny new degree. This year, graduates will be sent off into the world by notable folks from the spheres of business, law, sports, the arts, politics and health care.
Here's a look at who will offer wisdom to this year's graduates:
Johnson & Wales University: Greg Cook
The school known for its culinary program kicks off graduation season with morning and afternoon ceremonies on Saturday, May 3, first for graduate students and then for undergraduates. Greg Cook, who leads the university's own Ecolab Center for Culinary Science, will deliver the keynote speeches at both ceremonies, and receive an honorary degree at the undergraduate ceremony. The graduate ceremony takes place at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, with doors opening at 9 a.m. The undergraduate ceremony follows at 1 p.m.
New England Institute of Technology: Charlie Baker
The former governor of Massachusetts, now head of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Baker will address students during the school's commencement festivities on Sunday, May 4, at 11 a.m. at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence.
Rhode Island College: George Nee (undergraduate) and Princess Sirleaf Bomba (graduate)
The undergraduate ceremony happens Saturday, May 17, at 10 a.m. at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, with a keynote address by George Nee, a RIC graduate and longtime labor organizer who led the Rhode Island AFL-CIO from 2009 until his retirement in 2024. The graduate ceremony takes place on Thursday, May 15, at 5:30 p.m. at the Murray Center on its Providence campus. Princess Sirleaf Bomba, director of equity, community & belonging at The Wheeler School in Providence, plus a two-time RIC alum — will deliver the address.
University of Rhode Island: Steven Feinberg (honorary degree recipient)
Graduation ceremonies run from May 15 through May 19, with commencement ceremonies mostly happening on Friday through Sunday, one for each of URI's eight schools: nursing, arts and sciences, health sciences, education, environment and life sciences, business, pharmacy and engineering. Ceremonies take place in the Ryan Center on the University's Kingston campus. A full schedule of events can be found on the URI website.
Nine student speakers will give the keynote addresses in their respective schools of study. The College of the Environment and Life Sciences and the Graduate School of Oceanography will hold a joint event with two student speakers. The university will also award an honorary degree to Steven Feinberg, executive director of the Rhode Island Film and Television Office, during the Friday, May 16, College of Arts and Sciences 2 p.m. ceremony.
Just don't expect a long speech from Feinberg: 'He may say a few words but the focus is on the student speakers,' said URI spokesperson Dawn Bergantino in an email.
Roger Williams University: Cole Brauer and Judge Clifton B. Newman (Law School)
Cole Brauer, the first American woman to race solo nonstop around the world, will address the Class of 2025 and receive an honorary degree at the RWU Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 16, on the main athletic field. The processional steps off at 8:30 a.m. with the ceremony beginning at 9.
The Honorable Clifton B. Newman, retired judge from the South Carolina Circuit Court, who presided over several high-profile capital cases, is the keynote speaker at the 11:30 a.m. School of Law ceremony.
Bryant University: David Beirne (undergraduate) and Martha Wofford (graduate)
David Beirne, a 1985 graduate of Bryant and co-founder of X10 Capital, a private equity fund focused on the sports industry, will address undergraduate students at the 10 a.m. ceremony on Saturday, May 17, on the Smithfield campus.
Graduate students will hear from Martha L. Wofford, president and CEO of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, and also a Bryan alum at their ceremony on Thursday, May 15, at 5 p.m. on the campus.
Salve Regina University: Cody Keenan
Cody Keenan should be well-prepared to deliver a graduation speech, since he served as director of speechwriting for former president Barack Obama for 14 years. Keenan will address undergraduates on Sunday, May 18. Ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. Graduate ceremonies take place on Thursday, May 15, at 3 p.m. Both ceremonies are held on Salve's Newport campus.
Providence College: Judge Frank Caprio (undergraduate) and Michael Cox (graduate)
Providence College's undergraduate ceremony will be held Sunday, May 18, at 11 a.m. at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. The speaker is retired Chief Judge Frank Caprio, class of 1958, whose viral court rulings on Caught in Providence earned him a global following — more than 26 million across social platforms, with over 10 billion video views.
Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox delivers the commencement address to graduate students at a separate ceremony on Friday, May 16, at 6:30 p.m. at the school's Peterson Recreation Center on its Providence campus.
Brown University: Brown's 257th commencement weekend will continue the tradition of emphasizing student voices over outside ones: This year's student orators are Nkéke Harris, a critical Native American and Indigenous studies concentrator and member of the Narragansett Indian Tribe, and Aliza Kopans, a public health concentrator from Arlington, Massachusetts. Both will address their fellow graduates on Sunday, May 25, during a ceremony on the college green that begins around 1:15 p.m.
Brown has not publicly announced the recipients of honorary degrees for 2025.
Rhode Island School of Design: Rose B. Simpson
Rose B. Simpson, a Santa Clara Pueblo sculptor who received her MFA in ceramics from RISD in 2011, returns to her alma mater to deliver the commencement address on Saturday, May 31, at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Doors open at 8 a.m.
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