Develop a short list of potential commencement speakers. Who do you think would best deliver an appropriate yet challenging address to the students? Who are the students requesting?
Consider famous alumni who may be willing to deliver a graduation speech. One benefit is that they may feel guilty charging a fee to their home school, and you may get the celebrity to speak for free. Another positive is that the celebrity alumnus may inspire the students in a way that a celebrity with no connection to the university could not.
Explore who has connections to possible speakers. Do any students have famous relatives or friends who may be willing to speak?
Find out whether your college has a tradition of paying for notable speakers or awarding honorary degrees instead of payment. Some college presidents disagree with the practice of paying for commencement speakers, while others don't see a problem with it. If so, explore how much the college has paid in the past and is willing to pay to get a speaker everyone will remember.
Expect to pay anywhere from $2,500 for less famous speakers to as much as $125,000 for the super-famous, such as Oprah or Tom Brokaw.
Explore the All-American Speakers website for a list of potential speakers for your event. The site offers connections to 9,000 notables, including Jack Welch, Robert Kennedy Jr., Danny Glover or Mike Ditka.