Wynton Marsalis announced as 2023 commencement speaker at University of Michigan
The University of Michigan has announced that Wynton Marsalis, artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, will be the 2023 Spring Commencement speaker at the April 29 commencement ceremony (watch live webcast), which will be held at the Michigan Stadium. Marsalis has been recommended for an honorary Doctor of Music from the University, according to a University Record article.
Marsalis currently serves as director of Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School in New York City and is the president of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, a nonprofit that supports jazz musicians and jazz education. Marsalis was the 2005 recipient of the National Medal of Arts and the 2015 recipient of the National Humanities Medal.
The University has also recommended former University President Mary Sue Coleman — who most recently served as the interim University President in 2022 — for an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Playwright Dominique Morisseau and Flint-based entrepreneur Phil Hagerman have also been recommended for an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts and an honorary Doctor of Laws, respectively. Coleman and Morisseau will be recognized and will speak at the University’s Spring Commencement. Coleman will also be the commencement speaker at the Rackham Graduate School Graduation. Hagerman will speak at the U-M Flint School of Management commencement ceremony, also on April 29.
All four speakers will receive their honorary degrees at the commencement ceremonies, pending approval at the March 23 meeting of the Board of Regents.
Source: The Michigan Daily
