New York Times columnist David Brooks will speak at the Vanderbilt Class of 2024’s Graduates Day ceremony, according to a Feb. 29 press release from the university. This year’s ceremony will occur on May 9 on Commons Lawn and includes a luncheon with champagne and live music immediately following Brooks’ address.
The event precedes the university’s commencement ceremony the following day, which will be held at Geodis Park this year. Brooks’ address at 11 a.m. CDT will also be livestreamed.
Brooks will also be honored with the Nichols-Chancellor’s Medal, awarded to “those persons who define the 21st century and exemplify the best qualities of the human spirit.” Dr. Anthony Fauci, novelist Toni Morrison and Nobel laureate Maria Ressa tally among past recipients of the medal.
After graduating from the University of Chicago in 1983, Brooks wrote for several publications, including the City News Bureau (a wire service owned by the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times), The Wall Street Journal and the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard. He joined The New York Times as a columnist in 2003 and has since published over 1,400 columns for the paper.
Brooks is also the author of 11 books, including “How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen.” He has served as a commentator for PBS NewsHour, NPR’s “All Things Considered” and NBC’s “Meet the Press” and is also an advisory board member for the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy.
In the press release, Chancellor Daniel Diermeier lauded the longevity of Brooks’ writing career as well as his commitment to democracy and freedom of expression.
“His exceptional achievements, his documented journey as a lifelong learner and especially his recent work as a champion of unity and rebuilding social trust in a polarized age, make him a most worthy recipient of our 2024 Nichols-Chancellor’s Medal and a speaker whose timely insights are sure to resonate with our graduates and their families,” Diermeier said. “I look forward to welcoming Mr. Brooks and awarding him this year’s medal.”
Senior Nick Woros lamented Brooks’ selection as the Graduates Day speaker.
“We’ve had so many better speakers in the past,” Woros said. “If we could get Fauci during the pandemic, could we really not get a better speaker for this year?”
