Watch Live: Harvard University commencement ceremony
The Harvard University 2025 commencement was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Thursday. Harvard provided a livestream of the graduation ceremony on YouTube.
Harvard president Alan Garber got a standing ovation as he welcomed students from across the country and around the world.
"Around the world, just as it should be," Garber said, in an apparent reference to the Trump administration's efforts to block Harvard from enrolling international students.
Harvard is fighting in court to reverse the ban on foreign students, and it's also suing the government to restore billions of dollars in federal funding cuts.
Thursday's ceremony included speeches from school leaders and student speakers. Among those given honorary degrees from Harvard Thursday were NBA legend and social justice activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and actress Rita Moreno.
Harvard commencement speech
The commencement speaker is Dr. Abraham Verghese, an infectious disease doctor and bestselling author. At the beginning of his speech, he referred to Harvard as a "besieged community."
"I don't have to tell you that this is also an unprecedented moment for Harvard University," he said. "In this institution's almost four-century existence there has probably never been more attention focused on you than in the last few months, weeks, days."
Verghese told graduates that "more people than you realize are grateful to Harvard for the example it has set."
"A cascade of draconian government measures has already led to so much uncertainty, so much pain and suffering ... and more has been threatened," he said. "The outrage you must feel, the outrage so many feel, also must surely lead us to a new appreciation, the appreciation for the rule of law and due process."
Born in Ethiopia, Verghese directly referenced the political debate over immigration.
"When legal immigrants and others who are lawfully in this country, including so many of your international students, worry about being wrongly detained and even deported, perhaps it's fitting that you hear from an immigrant like me," Verghese said.
He told students that the most important decisions are often made under pressure.
"In the face of immense pressure, Harvard, under President Garber's steady leadership, has been very visible in making decisions worthy of your university's heritage," Verghese said. "Decisions that will reveal and shape this university's character."
