Commencement Speakers
| Date | Name |
| 1857 | Bruns, Henry M., LL.D. |
| 1859 | Wightman, William May, LL.D. |
| 1867 | Trapier, Paul, D.D. |
| 1870 | Dana, William C., D.D. |
| 1875 | Hanckel, John Stuart, D.D. |
| 1877 | Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth, D.D. |
| 1895 | Johnson, John, LL.D. |
| 1900 | McCrady, Edward, LL.D. |
| 1902 | Sass, George Herbert, LL.D. |
| 1910 | Simons, Manning, LL.D. |
| 1911 | Smith, Henry Augustus Middleton, LL.D. |
| 1914 | Lewisohn, Ludwig, Litt.D. |
| 1922 | Wilson, Robert, LL.D. |
| 1925 | Simons, Thomas Grange, LL.D. |
| 1926 | Baker, Leonard Theodore, LL.D. |
| 1927 | Stephenson, Nathaniel Wright, LL.D. |
| 1929 | Heyward, DuBose, Litt.D. |
| 1932 | Sass, Herbert Ravenel, Litt.D. |
| 1938 | Douglas Southall Freeman, LL.D. |
| 1939 | Clarence Augustus Graeser, LL.D. |
| 1940 | Frederick Tupper, Litt.D. |
| 1941 | Eli Kennerly Marshall, Jr. |
| 1945 | Kennety Merrill Lynch, LL.D. |
| 1952 | Edward McCrady, LL.D. |
| 1953 | Joseph Earle Jacobs, LL.D. |
| 1955 | Lionel Kennedy Legge, LL.D. |
| 1960 | James Harold Easterby, Litt.D. |
| 1961 | John Tindal Cuttino, Litt.D. |
| 1964 | Harold Rawling Pratt-Thomas |
| 1966 | George Daniel Grice, Litt.D. |
| 1968 | Wendell Mitchell Levi, Litt.D. |
| May 20, 1969 | Gordon Hughes Garrett, LL.D. |
| March 19, 1970 (Founders' Day) | Norman Allison Chamberlain, Litt.D. |
| May 26, 1970 | Robert McCormick Figg, Jr., Litt.D. |
| March 19, 1971 (Founders' Day) | James Dickey, Litt.D. |
| March 19, 1972 (Founders' Day) | Thomas Perkins Abernethy, Litt.D. |
| March 19, 1973 (Founders' Day) | Laura Mary Bragg |
| 1974 | William Mellen McCord, M.D., Litt.D. |
| 1975 | James Burrows Edwards |
| March 20, 1976 (Founders' Day) | Samuel Banks |
| March 19, 1977 | Pierrine St. Claire Smith Byrd |
| March 11, 1978 | Septima Poinsette Clark |
| March 17, 1979 | None |
| March 15, 1980 | None |
| March 1981 | None |
| May 1982 | Theodore Sanders Stern |
| May 8, 1983 | John Kresse |
| May 1984 | Ernest Fritz Hollings |
| March 22, 1985 | David Herbert Donald |
| May 1985 | Richard L. Walker |
| May 1986 | Alexander M. Sanders, Jr. |
| December 1986 | William Beaty Boyd |
| May 1987 | Richard H. Gadsden, Sr. |
| May 1988 | F. Mitchell Johnson |
| December 1988 | William L. Ball, III |
| May 14, 1989 | Louis D. Rubin, Jr. (Doctor of Letters) |
| December 17, 1989 | Walter F. Murphy (Doctor of Letters) |
| May 13, 1990 | Harry W. Freeman |
| December 16, 1990 | Jean Hoefer Toal (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 12, 1991 | Lawrence M. Gressette, Jr. (Doctor of Letters) |
| December 22, 1991 | Dr. John R. Brumgardt (Doctor of Letters) |
| May 10, 1992 | Thomas M. Sutherland (Doctor of Letters) |
| September 29, 1992 (Retirement) | Dr. Harry M. Lightsey, Jr. (Doctor of Philosophy) |
| October 12, 1992 | Elizabeth Watson |
| December 20, 1992 | James E. Clyburn (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 9, 1993 | Eugene Clayton Hunt (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 19, 1993 | Mitchell Jay Laurance (Doctor of Letters) |
| May 8, 1994 | Frank Lee Culbertson, Jr. (Doctor of Science) |
| December 18, 1994 | Arthur Ravenel, Jr. (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| February 27, 1995 | William Melton Halsey (Doctor of Fine Arts) |
| May 14, 1995 | Nancy Landon Kassebaum (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 17, 1995 | Ernest A. Finney, Jr. (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 12, 1996 | David Muldrow Beasley (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| Dec. 19, 1996 | Michael H. Mescon -- Founder and Chairman of the Mescon Group, Inc. and Dean Emeritus of Georgia State University's College of Business Administration (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 11, 1997 | Maggie Thurman Pennington (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 19, 1997 | Ruby Madeline Pendergrass Cornwell (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 10, 1998 | Howard H. Baker, Jr. (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 20, 1998 | Michael Veeck (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 15, 1999 | Ambassador Rita Derrick Hayes (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 29, 1999 | Giovanni Soldini (Doctor of Humane Letters) (Italian skipper who won Around Alone solo sailing race) |
| December 19, 1999 | Robert Foster Chapman (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 14, 2000 | Anne Rivers Siddons (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 17, 2000 | Conrad D. Festa (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 13, 2001 | Alexander Mullings Sanders, Jr. (Bachelor of Arts Degree) |
| July 25, 2001 | William Elliott Hutson (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 16, 2001 | Charles Pinckney Darby, Jr. (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 12, 2002 | Edward Villella (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 15, 2002 | Padgett Powell (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 11, 2003 | Harold McGraw III (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| October 10, 2003 | Saul Krawcheck (Honorary Bachelor of Arts Degree) |
| December 21, 2003 | Dr. Kenneth Olden (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 16, 2004 | Dr. Vartan Gregorian (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 19, 2004 | Robert W. Harrell, Jr. (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 15, 2005 | Nan Morrison (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| October 13, 2005 | F. Creighton McMaster (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 18, 2005 | Robert J. Sywolski (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 7, 2006 | Sallie L. Krawcheck (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 17, 2006 | The Honorable Lindsey O. Graham (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 13, 2007 | Jerry Zucker (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 16, 2007 | Eddie Lee Ganaway (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 10, 2008 | Ronald A. Tschetter (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 20, 2008 | Jennet Robinson Alterman (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 9, 2009 | Charlotte Beers-Beadleston (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 19, 2009 | Joseph Patrick Riley, Jr. (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 8, 2010 | Marco Cavazzoni (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 18, 2010 | Dorothea Benton Frank (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 7, 2011 | Richard E. Besser (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 17, 2011 | Robert M. Hitt III (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 11, 2012 | Richard N. Wilkerson (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 12, 2012 | Arlinda F. Locklear (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 15, 2012 | Dr. Raymond S. Greenberg (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 10, 2013 | Chloe Knight Tonney (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 11, 2013 | Glenn F. McConnell (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 14, 2013 | Anita Zucker (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 9, 2014 | James I. Newsome III (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 10, 2014 | Timothy E. Scott (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 13, 2014 | James T. McLawhorn, Jr. (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 15, 2015 | Steven Dean Swanson ‘89 |
| May 16, 2015 | Steven Dean Swanson ‘89 |
| December 19, 2015 | John Leopold Kresse |
| May 6, 2016 | Deborah Lee James (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 7, 2016 | Morning Ceremony: Michael Luttig (Doctor of Humane Letters) Afternoon Ceremony: |
| December 17, 2016 | Dava Newman (NASA) (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 12, 2017 | Sam Stafford III (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 13, 2017 | Morning Ceremony: Afternoon Ceremony: |
| December 16, 2017 | Michelle Asha Cooper ’95 (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 11, 2018 | Brian C. Rutenberg ’87 (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 12, 2018 | Morning Ceremony: Afternoon Ceremony: |
| December 15, 2018 | Sabra E. Horne ’87 (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 10, 2019 | Sonya Houston ’86 (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 11, 2019 | Morning Ceremony: Afternoon Ceremony: |
| December 14, 2019 | Michelle “Mitsy” Y. Mangum ’86 (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| May 9, 2020 | (Commencement cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic and |
| October 10, 2020 | Kathleen Parker (Doctor of Humane Letters) |
| December 19, 2020 | (Commencement cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic) |
| May 6-8, 2021 | Andrew H. Lewis
|
| December 18, 2021 | Simon K. Lewis |
| May 6-7, 2022 | Susan E. Farrell
|
| December 17, 2022 | Mark Joseph Buono ’81 (Visiting Instructor & Interim Director of |
| May 12-13, 2023 | Cynthia P. May (Professor of Psychology – Distinguished Teaching Award) |
| December 16, 2023 | John Rashford (Professor Emeritus of Anthropology) |
| May 10-11, 2024 | Julia L. Eichelberger (Professor of English) |