Bill Cosby will be Marquette University’s Commencement speaker at this year’s spring ceremony, which will be held Sunday, May 19, at 9:30 a.m. in the BMO Harris Bradley Center. As part of the ceremony, Cosby will receive an honorary doctor of letters degree.
“Bill Cosby was a pioneer in breaking down racial stereotypes on national television,” said Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., Marquette University president. “That commitment to breaking boundaries combined with his deep commitment to education is a powerful example for our graduates.”
Cosby is well known for his commitment to education. He emphatically believes that the best assurance for a satisfying and rewarding life begins with knowledge. Cosby himself went back to college, long after he had achieved much of his success to obtain a master’s degree as well as a doctorate degree in education.
Calling himself a “late bloomer,” Cosby says he did not realize the value of a formal education until after the first four days of boot camp in the U.S. Navy. “Four years later in May, when I got out of the Navy, I hit the ground running from Norfolk, Va., and immediately enrolled at Temple University in Philadelphia,” he said.
Cosby says he has never stopped realizing the importance of challenging himself. “People always say ‘You don’t need money, why are you still working?’ My answer is that it isn’t about money. That’s academic,” Cosby said. “It’s about accepting the challenges of one’s own ideas, clarifying the unanswered questions and pursuing the excitement of discovery.”
Marquette will also award Sister Rosemary Connelly, R.S.M., an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. She is executive director of Misericordia Heart of Mercy, a service organization in Rogers Park, Ill., that supports people with developmental disabilities.
