Only 1 of Top 100 National Universities Featured Conservative Commencement Speaker, Report Says

Conservative voices are overwhelmingly absent at commencement speeches this spring, as only one of the nation’s top 100 universities invited a right-leaning guest speaker to address the outgoing class of 2021, according to a recent report by the Young America’s Foundation (YAF).

Messages and artwork are pictured on the top of the caps of graduating students during their graduation ceremony at UC San Diego in San Diego, Calif, on June 17, 2017. Reuters/Mike Blake

Conservative voices are overwhelmingly absent at commencement speeches this spring, as only one of the nation’s top 100 universities invited a right-leaning guest speaker to address the outgoing class of 2021, according to a recent report by the Young America’s Foundation (YAF).

“With 37 liberal speakers imparting progressive ideas and just one conservative addressing graduates, the bias in this year’s commencement season is undeniable,” YAF said in reporting the findings of its annual survey, which examines the ideological affiliation of commencement speakers at the top 100 national universities, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.