PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPAUW UNIVERSITY
With February coming to a close and spring break rapidly approaching, the thought of commencement has surely crossed several minds on campus, especially those of the seniors and staff members.
Tavis Smiley, one of TIME Magazine's 2009 "100 most influential people," was chosen to deliver the address to the Class of 2016 at DePauw’s 177th Commencement.
The process by which commencement speakers are chosen starts and ends with the President. The President consults with senior senators to discuss what kind of speaker the class would prefer and what kind of focus they want at commencement. Ultimately, though, the President makes the final decision on who is chosen.
Betsy Demmings, executive assistant to the president, said the excitement for Smiley to deliver the address is a two-way street.
“We are extremely excited about Tavis, and we know he’s really excited about it, too, because he is from Indiana and will have family coming,” Demmings said.
Tavis was born in Gulfport, Miss. and raised in Bunker Hill, Ind. He eventually received a B.A. in public affairs from Indiana University. Years later, Smiley unsuccessfully ran for a Los Angeles Council seat. Afterward, he began his career in broadcasting commentaries for a Los Angeles radio station.
In 1996, Smiley became a frequent commentator on the "Tom Joyner Morning Show" and eventually began hosting and executively producing "BET Tonight," a public affairs discussion show on the Black Entertainment Television network.
In 2001, Smiley began hosting "The Tavis Smiley Show" at NPR. Three years in, he switched to Public Radio International (PRI).
Currently, Smiley is a host of the late-night PBS talk show entitled "Tavis Smiley," which began in 2004, as well as "The Tavis Smiley Show" on PRI.
Smiley is a New York Times best-selling author for his memoir, "What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America." Additionally, "Covenant With Black America," a book Smiley edited, became the first non-fiction book by a black-owned publisher to be a Times No. 1 bestseller.
Smiley most recently published "Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Year." He is currently working on another book entitled "My Journey with Maya," in which he shares memories from his 28-year friendship with Maya Angelou.
Smiley is the founder of a nonprofit entitled the Tavis Smiley Foundation, which funds programs that develop young leaders. In addition, the foundation has embarked on a $3 million, four-year campaign entitled “ENDING POVERTY: America’s Silent Spaces.”
Smiley received the Du Bois Medal from Harvard University and the 2009 Interdependence Day Prize from Demos in Istanbul, Turkey. Smiley has also received sixteen honorary doctorates and will receive another at this year’s commencement.
The ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 22, at 10:30 a.m. in the Holton Memorial Quadrangle.