COMMENCEMENT OFFICE
Wadsworth House

Commencement Orations Competition

INTRODUCTION

Each year at the Harvard Commencement, three graduating students speak to approximately 32,000 students, faculty, parents, alumni, and guests. As soon as the first anthem concludes, a Senior strides up to the microphone and announces, Salvete omnes! Then follows one of the oldest of Harvard traditions - an oration in Latin. Next, a graduating Senior speaks in English on a topic concerning the experience of an undergraduate at Harvard. Finally, a graduating student from one of the Graduate or Professional Schools speaks about a topic related to his or her experience at the graduate level.

Students wishing to represent Harvard on Commencement morning are asked to complete a 2008 Commencement Orations Application Form that can be obtained either from the Commencement Office, Wadsworth House, or online at the link above. Both the application form and one (1) copy of the typewritten speech must be submitted no later than Noon, Friday, April 11, 2008. Students whose speeches have been selected by the judges will be notified of the time and place of the preliminary auditions, scheduled on Monday, April 28. Final auditions will take place on Monday, May 5.

Note: No electronic submission of either the entry form or student speech will be accepted.

Speeches should be no longer than five minutes in length. Submissions will be judged for intelligence, wit, originality, and general significance. Avoid the use of clichés. Commencement audiences appreciate thoughtful reflections on Harvard experiences, particularly those which for you have larger significance. Candidates for the Latin oration should consult Professor Richard F. Thomas of the Classics Department, at (617) 496-6061. Please include an English translation when you submit your Latin oration to the Commencement Office.

There will be an Orators’ Workshop on Thursday, March 20, at 5:00 PM in Fong Auditorium, (Boylston Hall). Students interested in learning more about the competition are encouraged to attend.