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Huffington, Stone, Franco top list of UCLA commencement speakers
Political columnist Arianna Huffington, filmmaker Oliver Stone, actor James Franco and a host of other distinguished speakers will deliver keynote remarks at UCLA's commencement ceremonies, which begin May 8 and run through June 13.
This spring, UCLA will award approximately 10,000 bachelor's, master's, doctoral and professional degrees.
Arianna Huffington will deliver remarks at the School of Public Affairs commencement ceremony on Friday, June 12, at 9 a.m. in Royce Hall. Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post, is a nationally syndicated columnist and the author of 11 books. She is also a co-host of "Left, Right & Center," KCRW-89.9 FM's popular political roundtable program. In 2006, she was named one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine.
Oliver Stone will deliver keynote remarks at the commencement ceremony for the School of Theater, Film and Television on Friday, June 12, at 4 p.m. in Dickson Court North. Stone is credited with writing and/or directing more than 20 feature-length films. Before attending film school at New York University, he served a 15-month tour of duty in Vietnam. His critically acclaimed films include "Platoon," "Wall Street," "Born on the Fourth of July," "The Doors," "JFK," "Natural Born Killers," "Nixon" and "W," among others.
James Franco, who graduated from UCLA in 2008, will deliver keynote remarks at the College of Letters and Science commencement ceremony on Friday, June 12, at 5 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion. Franco's acting career began with a starring role on the television show "Freaks and Geeks," which became a cult hit. He is more recently known for his roles in the "Spider-Man" films, "Pineapple Express" and "Milk." Franco attended UCLA for a year beginning in 1996, left school to pursue his acting career and returned 10 years later to successfully complete his bachelor's degree in creative writing.
Oliver Stone will deliver keynote remarks at the commencement ceremony for the School of Theater, Film and Television on Friday, June 12, at 4 p.m. in Dickson Court North. Stone is credited with writing and/or directing more than 20 feature-length films. Before attending film school at New York University, he served a 15-month tour of duty in Vietnam. His critically acclaimed films include "Platoon," "Wall Street," "Born on the Fourth of July," "The Doors," "JFK," "Natural Born Killers," "Nixon" and "W," among others.
James Franco, who graduated from UCLA in 2008, will deliver keynote remarks at the College of Letters and Science commencement ceremony on Friday, June 12, at 5 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion. Franco's acting career began with a starring role on the television show "Freaks and Geeks," which became a cult hit. He is more recently known for his roles in the "Spider-Man" films, "Pineapple Express" and "Milk." Franco attended UCLA for a year beginning in 1996, left school to pursue his acting career and returned 10 years later to successfully complete his bachelor's degree in creative writing.
At other UCLA commencement ceremonies (listed in order of occurrence):
- Kamala D. Harris, district attorney for the city and county of San Francisco, will deliver the commencement address at the School of Law ceremony on Friday, May 8, at 3:30 p.m. in Dickson Court North.
- Richard Valachovic, executive director of the American Dental Education Association, will deliver keynote remarks to graduates of the School of Dentistry on Sunday, May 31, at 10 a.m. in Royce Hall.
- Pauline Chen, a surgeon, author and online columnist for the New York Times, will deliver remarks at the Hippocratic Oath ceremony for graduates of the David Geffen School of Medicine on Friday, June 5, at 5 p.m. in Dickson Court North.
- Anne Sweeney, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of the Disney/ABC Television Group, will address graduates of the Anderson School of Management on Friday, June 12, at 4 p.m. in Wilson Plaza.
- Benjamin Chu, regional president of Kaiser Permanente Southern California, will address graduates of the School of Public Health on Friday, June 12, at 5:30 p.m. in Royce Hall.
- Beverly Malone, CEO of the National League for Nursing, will address graduates of the School of Nursing on Saturday, June 13, at 8 a.m. in Royce Hall.
- John J. Tracy, chief technology officer for Boeing Co., will address graduates of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science on Saturday, June 13, at 12:30 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion.
- Catherine Opie, artist and professor of photography in UCLA's Department of Art, will address graduates of the School of the Arts and Architecture on Saturday, June 13, at 4 p.m. in Dickson Court North.
For general commencement information, updates, and details on ceremonies for particular schools and programs, visit www.commencement.ucla.edu.
UCLA is California's largest university, with an enrollment of nearly 38,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The UCLA College of Letters and Science and the university's 11 professional schools feature renowned faculty and offer more than 323 degree programs and majors. UCLA is a national and international leader in the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs. Four alumni and five faculty have been awarded the Nobel Prize.
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