Universities Increasingly Disinvite Commencement Speakers Amid Student Protests
Morton Schapiro, former president of Northwestern University, withdrew as Georgetown University Law Center's commencement speaker on May 6, 2026, after student protests over his pro-Israel op-ed following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. This incident is part of a broader trend: the free speech advocacy group FIRE reports 345 attempts to disinvite commencement speakers between 2000 and 2024. Historically, commencement addresses were apolitical, with the first U.S. ceremony at Harvard in 1642 featuring no outside speaker. By the 19th century, figures like Ralph Waldo Emerson (1837) and President James Garfield (1881) spoke. Presidents John F. Kennedy (1963) and Lyndon Johnson (1965) used commencements for policy announcements without controversy. Recent disinvitations include Bob Kerrey (Creighton University, 2019), Michael Smerconish (Dickinson College, 2024), and Salman Rushdie (Claremont McKenna College, 2025). The Israel-Hamas war has fueled further controversies. Schapiro's withdrawal reflects what experts call a 'heckler's veto,' where audience reaction silences speakers. Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust in 2017 warned against silencing ideas, emphasizing reasoned argument.
Key facts
- Morton Schapiro withdrew as Georgetown Law commencement speaker on May 6, 2026, after student protests over his pro-Israel op-ed.
- Students cited Schapiro's 'controversial, Zionist, and harmful opinions' in their petition.
- FIRE recorded 345 disinvitation attempts between 2000 and 2024.
- First U.S. commencement at Harvard in 1642 had no outside speaker.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson spoke at Harvard's Phi Beta Kappa in 1837.
- President James Garfield delivered the first presidential commencement address in 1881 at the U.S. Naval Academy.
- President John F. Kennedy announced nuclear test ban negotiations at American University in 1963.
- President Lyndon Johnson announced initiatives for Black socioeconomic disparities at Howard University in 1965.
- Bob Kerrey withdrew from Creighton University in 2019 after Nebraska GOP objected to his abortion rights record.
- Dickinson College rescinded Michael Smerconish's invitation in 2024 after a student op-ed highlighted his past comments on racial profiling.
- Salman Rushdie withdrew from Claremont McKenna College in 2025 after Muslim Student Association objected to his criticism of religion.
- Harrison Butker's 2024 Benedictine College speech encouraging women to be homemakers sparked controversy.
- Drew Gilpin Faust in 2017 warned against silencing ideas in her Harvard commencement address.
Entities
Institutions
- Northwestern University
- Georgetown University Law Center
- FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression)
- Harvard College
- Massachusetts Bay Colony
- Phi Beta Kappa
- United States Naval Academy
- Clark University
- American University
- Howard University
- Creighton University
- Dickinson College
- Claremont McKenna College
- Muslim Student Association
- Emory University
- Benedictine College
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Nebraska Republican Party
Locations
- Evanston, Illinois
- United States
- Annapolis, Maryland
- Worcester, Massachusetts
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Claremont, California
- Gaza Strip
- Israel