The Graduate Commencement ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 17, 2025 at the Cure Arena in Trenton, NJ. We are seeking a graduate student speaker.

  1. To qualify:
    • Your graduation date must be December 2024 OR January, May or August 2025.
    • You must be in good academic standing.
    • You should be able to speak effectively in public.
  2. To apply, please submit the following to Debbie Stasolla in the Office of the President at [email protected]:
    • A professional résumé, including your contact information, community and/or campus organization involvement, and any honors and/or awards you received.
    • The full text of your Commencement address.
      • Your speech should run no more than 5 minutes in length.
      • We strongly recommend that you tell ‘your story,’ demonstrating the impact Rider has had on you during your graduate academic career or how you persevered through a particular challenge and including a message you would like to share with your fellow graduates.
      • You may also want to speak to the unique experiences and special strengths required by graduate students as they pursue their education and balance other responsibilities.
  3. Timeline:
    • Friday, February 28: Applications are due.
    • The week of March 10: Finalist candidates will be contacted to schedule a meeting for the week of March 24. 
    • The week of March 24: Finalist candidates will be asked to present their Commencement address to the Commencement Speaker Committee. The Committee will select a finalist and alternate and will notify each applicant via email regarding the outcome of the process.

Please submit your application materials by February 28 to:

Debbie Stasolla
Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Planning
Rider University Office of the President
2083 Lawrenceville Road
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
609-896-5228
[email protected]