U-M’s focus for the decade will target key areas with the greatest potential for impact.

Nominees may be individuals who have advanced their field of endeavor in significant ways, or who have made compelling contributions to society. Nominating deadline for candidates to be considered for the 2024 Spring Commencement Exercises is 5 p.m. Oct. 16.

Declaring them a ‘bridge in the unrelenting cycle of life,’ renowned musician Wynton Marsalis told U-M graduates they must step up during difficult times to be leaders, critical thinkers, and people willing to spark a change.

He may have dismissed his own commencement ceremonies as meaningless, but professor Mika LaVaque-Manty came to revere the academic ritual soon after he volunteered as U-M’s chief marshal in 2008. He will pass the torch following Spring 2023 commencement.

Mark Twain is credited with saying, ‘History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.’ The same could be said for commencement speeches. Listen in, as we revisit the most inspiring lines from past University of Michigan commencement speakers like Lawrence Kasdan, Joyce Carol Oates, Ken Burns, and more.

The Wolverine blood runs strong in this Michigan clan, whose newest alum, Amanda Balogh, BS, is the 14th member of the family to attend U-M. The pioneer was her great-grandmother Helen Cortade, who received a Michigan master’s degree in the 1920s.

The mural is 18 by 400 feet and includes several “flying” graduation caps set among white clouds, with a Block M and the words “Go Blue Class of 2021.” The project was led by Stamps alumnae Yen Azzaro and Liz Guilmet.

Nominees will have advanced their field of endeavor in significant ways or made compelling contributions to society. Past recipients include alumnus Sanjay Gupta and economist Robert J. Shiller.

U-M commencement speakers have imparted wisdom, warnings, predictions, and platitudes to graduates since 1845. A common theme: Each class inherits the great events, problems, and possibilities of the time. Plus: 2020 Commencement.