Usher, an artist who “needs no introduction,” will deliver the keynote address at Emory University’s 180th Commencement on May 12, according to an email from University President Gregory Fenves to the Emory community. Usher has won eight Grammy Awards, played at the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show and is known for chart-topping songs such as “Yeah!” (2004) and “OMG” (2010).
“There are few artists in the history of popular music who have innovated as ceaselessly as he has,” Fenves wrote in the email. “Through acclaimed albums, era-defining songs, global tours, and live performances that showcase his peerless talent as a singer, songwriter, and dancer, Usher has connected profoundly with generations of fans, building a dedicated audience that continues to grow.”
While Usher was not born in Atlanta, he moved to the city in 1990 to pursue a music career. In 1994, Usher released his debut self-titled album. The Atlanta transplant has gone on to have nine No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, six platinum albums and 24 Grammy nominations.
Roja Ayyadurai (25C) said she thinks Usher will bring an “unexpected energy to graduation.” Ayyadurai said growing up with Usher’s music makes this choice feel “nostalgic” for her.
Cristian Sierra (28C) said he is excited to hear Usher speak. He said that the University continues to keep students on their toes, with hip hop artists like NLE Choppa and A Boogie wit Da Hoodie, who performed on campus this academic year.
Ayyadurai said Usher will bring the uplifting vibes necessary for this type of ceremony.
“[Usher speaking] it’s just more fun and fresh, especially because we’re young adults, and we’re going into the real world, we’re going to be hearing a lot of politics and all this other stuff for the rest of our lives,” Ayyadurai said. “It’s just like fun reminds us of our youth.”
Sierra said it was important for Emory to host Commencement speakers whose influence reaches the graduating generation, considering that Usher’s career spanned the childhoods of this year’s graduating seniors.
“It’s important to a certain extent, because considering the seniors’ age and Usher’s great popularity in the early 2000s, that is a bit more relevant to their time than some distant figure they don’t really know,” Sierra said.
Fenves also highlighted Usher’s community work in his announcement. He noted the artist’s charity, Usher’s New Look, a nonprofit organization that helps disadvantaged teenagers graduate and succeed. Founded in 1999, the organization says it has helped more than 50,000 youth. Goizueta Business School has validated the charity.
“New Look has helped tens of thousands of teens discover their talents, providing them with life-changing educational pathways and training,” Fenves wrote. “Emory University has been proud to partner with New Look over the years, and we are delighted that Usher will return to our campus on May 12.”
Sierra praised Emory’s decision to host a celebrity whose contributions are not only cultural but also philanthropic.
“No matter how high you’re up there in the social ladder and are well off, you can always do good,” Sierra said.
Ayyadurai said hearing about Usher’s contributions to the Atlanta community has heightened her excitement to see him speak at the ceremony.
“I’m more excited to hear what [Usher] has to say in his speech now,” Ayyadurai said.
Emory will also award Usher an honorary degree for his organization’s collaboration with the Goizueta Business School. The University will also present honorary degrees to Immunologist Leonore Herzenberg and Susan Hassmiller, senior adviser for nursing at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, during the ceremony.
Herzenberg, a professor of genetics at Stanford University (Calif.), has made crucial contributions to the field of genetics through her research. Among other achievements, Herzenberg and her late husband developed biotechnology that improved the acquisition and analysis of data from flow cytometry, a technique used to quickly count and profile cells. Herzenberg was awarded the Computer World Laureate honor in 2010 for her advancements in technology. That same year, she was elected as a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
Hassmiller’s experience in the nursing field has spanned decades. She contributed to the National Academy of Medicine’s report, “The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity,” which discussed the importance of nurses in establishing a more equitable healthcare system. In 2009, the International Committee of the Red Cross awarded Hassmiller the Florence Nightingale Medal, the most prestigious international award for nurses. In addition, she is the former senior scholar-in-residence and senior adviser to the president on nursing at the National Academy of Medicine and is a fellow at the American Academy of Nursing.
This year’s commencement ceremony is still set to be held on the University Quadrangle. This follows a break in the tradition last year, when Emory moved the event to the Gas South District in Duluth, Ga. after police ended an encampment on the Quad on April 25, 2024. This led to the arrests of 28 individuals and sparked several days of protests on campus.
Fenves wrote in his Feb. 27 email that the Class of 2025 will have an “incredible” ceremony.
“These students have accomplished so much during their time at Emory, and this will be their moment—surrounded by family and friends on the Quad—to celebrate all they have achieved,” Fenves wrote.
Update (5/15/25 at 2:28 p.m.):This article has been updated to include comments from Roja Ayyadurai (25C) and Cristian Sierra (28C).
Spencer Friedland (26C) is from Long Island, N.Y. While not working at the Wheel, he is a member of Emory Disability Rights, Education Activism and Mentoring and the Franklin Fellows program. In his free time, he can be found watching the New York Yankees or going to the movies.
Jacob Muscolino (he/him) (28C) is a News Editor at The Emory Wheel. He is from Long Island and plans to major in History and Psychology. Outside of the Wheel, he is involved in Emory Reads and Emory Economics Review. You can often find Jacob watching the newest blockbuster for his Letterboxd, dissecting The New York Times and traveling to the next destination on his bucket list.
