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This Year's Most Shocking Graduation Speech

FILE - Billionaire investor Robert Smith, second from left, is seen after pledging to pay off the student loan debt of the entire Class of 2019 at Morehouse College in Atlanta, May 19, 2019, in this picture obtained from social media. (D. Moody/Reuters)
FILE - Billionaire investor Robert Smith, second from left, is seen after pledging to pay off the student loan debt of the entire Class of 2019 at Morehouse College in Atlanta, May 19, 2019, in this picture obtained from social media. (D. Moody/Reuters)

VOA Learning English contributed to this report.

College and university commencement exercises, where graduates are awarded their diplomas for completing their studies, can be long, drawn out and sometimes boring.

But many colleges strive to present inspiring or entertaining ceremonies, featuring well-known speakers who deliver wit and wisdom about the graduates' futures. The larger or more well-known the school, the more likely its commencement speaker will be popular or famous.

The 2019 commencement season is no exception. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will speak at Harvard University in Massachusetts. Vice President Mike Pence will speak at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. Bill Nye "The Science Guy" will speak at Cornell University, also in upstate New York.

Television personality and media mogul Oprah Winfrey spoke at Colorado College in Colorado Springs about the importance of serving the greater good.

FILE - Oprah Winfrey arrives at THR's Empowerment in Entertainment Gala at Milk Studios, April 30, 2019, in Los Angeles.
FILE - Oprah Winfrey arrives at THR's Empowerment in Entertainment Gala at Milk Studios, April 30, 2019, in Los Angeles.

'You will lend a hand'

"The truth is, you cannot fix everything," Winfrey said. "But what you can do, here and now, is make a decision, because life is about decisions. And the decision is that you will use your life in service; you will be in service to life. You will speak up. You will show up. You will stand up. You will sit in. You will volunteer. You will vote. You will shout out. You will help. You will lend a hand."

Actor Kristen Bell spoke at the University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts commencement.

FILE - Kristen Bell is pictured at the 2017 NBCUniversal Upfront in New York City.
FILE - Kristen Bell is pictured at the 2017 NBCUniversal Upfront in New York City.

"When you respect the idea that you are sharing the Earth with other humans, and when you lead with your nice foot forward, you'll win, every time," said Bell. "It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow. … But I promise you, it will appear exactly when you need it."

But few have gained as much attention as this year's speaker at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., one of the nation's historically black colleges and universities.

Morehouse's 2019 commencement speaker was Robert F. Smith, founder of the investment company Vista Equity Partners and one of the wealthiest African-Americans in the United States.

On May 19, Smith didn't just deliver a commencement speech — he announced to the nearly 400 Morehouse graduates that he would pay off their student loan debt.

'A little fuel in your bus'

"On behalf of the eight generations of my family that have been in this country, we're going to put a little fuel in your bus," Smith said, followed by cheers from the crowd.

The estimated cost of Smith's promise is $40 million. This is in addition to the $1.5 million he donated to Morehouse in January.

"I don't have to live off of peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches," said Aaron Mitchom, 22, who graduated with a degree in finance. "I was shocked. My heart dropped. We all cried. In the moment it was like a burden had been taken off."

Mitchom told The Associated Press he had taken out $200,000 in student loans to pay for his education at Morehouse. Weeks before graduation, he had calculated how long it would take him to settle that debt: Twenty-five years if he paid half of his expected earnings every month.

Student debt is a concern for many college students and their families. The U.S. central banking system, or Federal Reserve, reports that student loan debt reached a record high this year of $1.5 trillion.

Smith had one request: He asked the Morehouse graduates to help others the way they had been helped and said he hoped that "every class has the same opportunity going forward."

"Because we are enough to take care of our own community," Smith added. "We are enough to ensure that we have all the opportunities of the American dream. And we will show it to each other through our actions and through our words and through our deeds."

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San Diego school requires course in climate change 

FILE - San Diego firefighters help Humberto Maciel rescue his dog from his flooded home in Merced, California, Jan. 10, 2023.
FILE - San Diego firefighters help Humberto Maciel rescue his dog from his flooded home in Merced, California, Jan. 10, 2023.

If you want an undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego, you’re going to have to take a course in climate change.

The requirement, which affects students who will graduate in 2028, is meant to prepare students for the future, according to a report by ABC News. (October 2024)

‘Study away’ programs in the US can provide enrichment opportunities 

FILE - Students walk on the campus of Boston College, April 29, 2024, in Boston.
FILE - Students walk on the campus of Boston College, April 29, 2024, in Boston.

While studying abroad can expose students to new cultures and experiences, researchers are finding that domestic ‘study away’ programs can be helpful as well.

Some students, including those on an international visa, may not be able to study abroad, but they can travel to other locations in the U.S. for enrichment experiences, Ashley Mowreader writes in Inside Higher Ed. (October 2024)

Fewer students disclose race in applications to top colleges 

FILE - An unidentified person walks past Harvard yard at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 7, 2023
FILE - An unidentified person walks past Harvard yard at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 7, 2023

FAfter the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in college admissions last year, fewer students are disclosing their race or ethnicity in applications to top colleges.

Writing in USA Today, Zachary Schermele notes that the data is preliminary, but it could signal a change in the way students are approaching college applications. (October 2024)

Overall college enrollment is up, first-year enrollment down 

FILE - A student delivers packages to the dormitory at DePaul University in Chicago, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024.
FILE - A student delivers packages to the dormitory at DePaul University in Chicago, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024.

For the second year since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, college enrollment has climbed in the United States.

But the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center noticed a substantial drop in the number of freshmen, which could be troubling for future enrollment, according to a report in Forbes. (October 2024)

South African universities embrace AI, seeing it as equalizing tool

South African universities embrace AI, seeing it as equalizing tool
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The rise of AI tools like ChatGPT has sparked debate in higher education, raising questions about ethics and integrity in teaching, learning and knowledge creation. In South Africa, some academic institutions are taking a proactive approach, integrating AI into their curricula. Experts say this step is not only innovative but also helps level the playing field among students. Zaheer Cassim reports from Johannesburg.

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