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From the robed procession to the conferring of degrees to the keynote speech meant to inspire students to reflect on their lives and contributions to society, graduation ceremonies are a grand and cherished tradition.
But increasingly, those ceremonies — and in particular the speeches delivered from the podium — have become political minefields.
Students at Rutgers School of Engineering saw it firsthand on May 15 as they marched in their convocation ceremony at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway. Onstage, there was no keynote speaker.
The schools’ dean disinvited Rami Elghandour, a biotech CEO and prominent alumnus, after some students said they were uncomfortable with his criticism of Israel on social media and that they would not attend graduation.
“No graduate should have to choose between their personal convictions and celebrating their hard-earned academic achievements at convocation,” a Rutgers spokesperson said. "Rutgers strives to foster an environment where people from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are welcomed, respected, and able to participate fully in university life."
Administrators said they wanted everyone to feel welcome. But the decision sparked protest from students, faculty and Elghandour, who accused the university of suppressing free speech. Still, had it gone the other way, with the speaker retained, it might also have led to protest and drawn backlash from government officials who view criticism of Israel as a punishable offense.
The tensions that boiled over at Rutgers reflect a modern era of commencement, where political polarization and national scrutiny have pushed universities to reconsider who speaks on stage and what they speak about.
Universities and culture war
Controversies over graduation have surged in recent years as students on the left and right protest speakers whose point of view, politics or lifestyle they find offensive. Amplifying those tensions, speaker comments and controversies rapidly ricochet across social media, drawing outside scrutiny and often backlash.
Nowadays, when selecting keynote speakers, universities risk offending students and donors, sparking protests and drawing the wrath of a federal administration that says academia has become too liberal.
“Commencement has now become a battleground for these broader national conflicts over speech, identity politics, geopolitics and institutional values,” said James Finkelstein, a professor emeritus of public policy at George Mason University in Virginia and an expert in higher education governance.
“Decisions that once would be very localized on the campus can be nationalized in a moment," he added. "There are groups on both the left and the right who are constantly looking at what universities are doing and amplifying that to support their agenda.”
In the current graduation season, South Carolina State University disinvited the state's lieutenant governor, Pamela Evette, as commencement speaker. Students at the state's only publicly-funded Black college objected to Evette's positions against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
At Utah Valley University, administrators disinvited author and educator Sharon McMahon because of complaints about social media posts after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was killed. McMahon wrote that his assassination was an “incredible tragedy” but does not “erase the harm many experienced from his words.”
Other incidents have involved the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
At NYU, administrators began requiring pre-recorded speeches — a response to a 2025 student speaker who criticized Israel for “genocide” in Gaza. The University of Michigan faced backlash after a history professor praised pro-Palestinian student protesters in a commencement speech, prompting the university president to issue a formal apology.
Israel's supporters have also faced scrutiny. Israeli President Isaac Herzog scrapped an in-person appearance at commencement for the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, although he denied that it was due to student protest over treatment of Palestinians. He will deliver remarks by video. At Georgetown Law School, Morton Schapiro, a former university president, withdrew from commencement after students complained about his pro-Israel views, saying he did not want “to distract from the day’s festivities."
"Dialogue seems to have become a lost art, and a curse of moral certainty has infected many of our minds," Schapiro wrote in a column in the Jewish Journal about the incident. "The American university, which is supposed to serve as an example of how to pursue the truth while engaging in mutual respect and understanding, has all too frequently been torn apart by forces both inside and outside the campus gates."
‘Couldn’t give that speech today’
It wasn’t always this way, said Finkelstein, of George Mason University. He recalled his own graduation in 1974, when humorist and political columnist Art Buchwald satirized President Richard Nixon as the Watergate scandal was brewing.
“The title of the speech was 'I’m Not a Crook,'" Finkelstein said. “He couldn't give that speech today.”
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, noted an uptick in 2014 in demands for speaker cancellations. That year, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pulled out of commencement at Rutgers due to protests by students and faculty.
The trend has only accelerated. Today, universities have a myriad of considerations when planning for a commencement.
“Universities now have to take a look at the speakers, not only for their achievements and their ability to inspire,” Finkelstein said. “Now they have to assess the risk for protests, security implications for some of these speakers, donor reactions and provoking the attention of a legislature if you're a public university.
“The best way to put it is that speakers today are undergoing a reputational stress test," he added. "Universities aren't just asking anymore: Is this an accomplished person? But could this person survive 24 hours of social media scrutiny without the ceremony itself becoming a national controversy?”
How to manage risk
In today's climate, universities are facing backlash on a widening range of issues including diversity initiatives, abortion, sexual harassment and LGBTQ rights. To avoid conflict, universities must thoroughly vet speakers and prepare in case of protest, said Simon Barker, managing partner of Blue Moon Consulting Group, which advises clients on risk and crisis management.
“We recommend, at minimum, that you follow your existing process for selecting a speaker,” Barker said.
It sounds simple, but it often does not happen, Barker said. In some cases, a board member will invite a prominent alumnus, circumventing the process and failing to recognize issues that could be “challenging” for the community.
“This is meant to be a sort of a joyous occasion,” he said. “You don’t really want somebody who's particularly controversial or who's particularly associated with a divisive political opinion.”
If they invite speakers with controversial opinions, even if it's not what they are talking about, they should plan and prepare for protest — whether it’s students turning their back on a speaker or protesters trying to physically disrupt the event.
“Those kinds of processes need to be very clear,” Barker said. “Everyone needs to understand who the decision maker is and what the level of response is.”
The “worst thing,” he added, is disinviting a speaker.
“That essentially suggests that there wasn't enough due diligence on the front end to understand the risks associated with that particular speaker,” he said. “It shows a lack of a commitment to some of the free speech principles that universities aspire to have.”
Strained relationship
Elghandour — who was disinvited from the Rutgers School of Engineering commencement — is CEO of Arcellx, a biotech company pursuing a cure for cancer, which was acquired last month for $7.8 billion.
Rutgers described Elghandour as "an impassioned champion of gender equity and social justice" in an alumni profile on the school's website in March. It also noted his role as an executive producer of the Oscar-nominated "The Voice of Hind Rajab," about a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli soldiers after pleading for rescue.
Elghandour was on campus on March 5 for a “fireside chat” with School of Engineering Dean Alberto Cuitiño.
Cuitiño declined to talk about how he made his decision to disinvite Elghandour. But the decision seemed to weigh heavily on the dean. Elghandour, in an interview, said he had several calls with the dean. He suggested Elghandour speak at another time and place before finally revoking the invite.
The dean told him, Elghandour said, that “a few students felt that my social posts opposed their beliefs.” In his posts, Elghandour has described Israel's actions as genocide and apartheid.
Rutgers' decision came as some Jewish students and advocacy groups say universities have not done enough to address rhetoric they view as hostile or exclusionary amid campus debates over Israel and Palestine.
"Commencement is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement for graduating students and their families. It must not be overshadowed by disruptions, threats or discriminatory targeting of any student speakers," writes the Anti-Defamation League, an organization that fights antisemitism and advocates for Israel, in commencement guidance.
The ADL guidance urges institutions to ensure speeches reflect the "inclusive spirit of the occasion" and "are moments for unity, celebration and reflection on shared academic journeys."
Still, free speech and faculty groups say universities have gone too far in policing speech, and especially pro-Palestinian speech.
“Sometimes speech takes us to new and uncomfortable places, but institutions must model resilience, tolerance and engagement with speech, and resist reversing their choices in the face of discontent and pressure," said Kristen Shahverdian, director of higher education and free expression for PEN America.
End of graduation speeches?
In this tense climate, some universities are avoiding speakers seen as too political, and choosing more athletes, entertainers and entrepreneurs.
Finkelstein predicted that the tradition may fade away altogether.
The speeches are often long in an already long ceremony, he said. Most students can’t recall later what their keynote speaker said. These spaces, where leaders and changemakers once imparted wisdom, inspiration and reflection to the graduating class, have become fraught, complex and contested.
“What does the student lose out when this tradition passes?” Finkelstein asked.
“It may well be that we're going to see the demise of the graduation speaker," he said. "These may just become events that solely celebrate the event of graduating, without these students being given advice on their way out the door.”