Several universities have canceled commencement speakers or ceremonies altogether following tensions related to the Israel-Palestine conflict. While specific motivations vary, these decisions often cite security concerns or a desire to avoid "polarizing" political rhetoric during graduation.
Universities with Canceled or Altered Speaker Plans
- University of Southern California (USC): Canceled all outside commencement speakers and its main-stage ceremony for 2024 after first canceling the speech of valedictorian Asna Tabassum.
- New York University (NYU): Scrapped live student commencement speeches for the 2026 graduation season following a 2025 controversy where a speaker condemned the war in Gaza.
- Columbia University: Canceled its main university-wide 2024 commencement ceremony entirely, choosing to hold smaller school-specific events instead.
- University of Vermont: Canceled its 2024 commencement speaker, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, following demands from student protesters.
- CUNY Law School: Reported cutting student speeches from its program entirely starting in late 2023, allegedly due to previous speakers' pro-Palestinian comments.
Recent Speaker Bans and Disciplinary Actions
Administrators at several other institutions have actively intervened to prevent or punish speeches mentioning Palestine:
- Harvard Medical School: Nixed a potential 2024 speaker specifically due to concerns that her pro-Palestine social media posts would be "polarizing".
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): Barred the 2025 class president from the main graduation stage after she gave an unsanctioned pro-Palestine speech at a pre-graduation event.
- George Washington University (GWU): Banned a student speaker from campus after she delivered a commencement speech criticizing the university's ties to Israel.
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