Bernanke To Address Seniors on Class Day

Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben S. Bernanke ’75 will speak to graduating seniors on Class Day this June, the University announced today.

The former Winthrop House resident and the country's most influential economic policy maker follows Bill Clinton who delivered the Class Day address last June.

Bernanke joins a list of Class Day speakers that includes such notables as Mother Teresa, playwright Arthur Miller, former Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis, and Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr.

But lately the Class Day appointment has taken on a comedic flavor, with five of the last seven speakers plying their trade as funnymen. The list since 2000 includes late night host Conan O’Brien ’85, former “Saturday Night Live” stars Will Ferrell and Al Franken ’73, “Da Ali G Show” creator Sacha Baron Cohen, and Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the popular television show “Family Guy.”

"We believe Mr. Bernanke will provide the perfect balance of thought to our graduation ceremonies," Class Marshal Alexander J. Tennant ’08 said in a statement.