
Taylor Swift will stand before a sold-out crowd at Yankee Stadium this spring, but she won’t be singing. Instead, she’ll deliver an address to New York University graduates during a joint commencement ceremony. She’s also set to receive an honorary degree from the prestigious university on May 18, 2022.
Swift’s remarks during an afternoon ceremony at Yankee Stadium will be followed by an evening ceremony held for graduates in the class of 2020 and 2021 who were unable to have traditional ceremonies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Disability rights activist Judith Heumann will be honored as the featured speaker during the later ceremony. Other honorees will include Lonnie Bunch III, Susan Hockfield, Jill Lepore, and Félix Matos Rodríguez.
“I cannot overstate how thrilled I am to be coming together in person with graduates, parents, faculty and honorees for NYU’s commencement,” NYU President Andrew Hamilton said, according to Variety.
“Since 2019, we have been deprived of commencement’s festive, communal joy, and its absence has been keenly felt. Few groups of graduates are more deserving of a celebration than these classes: their pursuit of their studies disrupted, isolated by a daunting pandemic, these classes—2022, 2021, and 2020—have distinguished themselves with their grit, grace, and forbearance.”
For the first time since 2019, we'll be back at @yankeestadium on May 18 for TWO Commencement ceremonies to celebrate #NYU2020, #NYU2021, and #NYU2022. Thrilled to announce our honorary degree recipients, including speakers @taylorswift13 & @judithheumann: https://t.co/CJPRr4yATw
— New York University (@nyuniversity) March 28, 2022