On April 2, Interim President Arthur Levine sent an email to the Brandeis community announcing that Professor Jonathon D. Sarna ’75 (NEJS), a historian of American Judaism, and the Honorable Shirley Ann Jackson, a theoretical physicist and higher-education leader, will be the keynote speakers for Brandeis’ 74th Commencement ceremonies. 

 The speakers will additionally receive honorary degrees. Also receiving an honorary degree is LGBTQIA+ rights activist and the lead plaintiff in the 2015 landmark Supreme Court case, that legalized same-sex marriage, Jim Obergefell. Obergefell co-wrote the book “Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers Who Fought the Landmark Case for Marriage Equality” and serves as the executive producer for The JustMarried Project, which entails a podcast series, book and documentary series.

In his email, Levine elaborated on the keynote speakers’ accreditations, recounting how Sarna retired from teaching in December, after serving at Brandeis for 34 years. Sarna has also worked on writing and editing for more than 30 books. These titles include “Lincoln and the Jews: A History, and When General Grant Expelled the Jews.” Levine elaborated that “his book ‘American Judaism: A History’ is considered the definitive history of American Jewry and has won many accolades, including the 2004 Everett Jewish Book of the Year Award from the Jewish Book Council.”

He shared Jackson’s accolades as “the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. at [Massachusetts Institute of Technology].” She also served as the 18th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, between 1999 and 2022. “She has held senior leadership positions in academia, government, industry and research,” Levine’s email to the Brandeis community included. Jackson has won several awards, including the National Medal of Science, awarded in 2016 by the former U.S. President Barack Obama, for her contributions to the advancement of science and engineering, and the Vannevar Bush award, in recognition of her achievements in scientific research, education and public policy. 

The 2025 undergraduate and graduate commencement will take place on Sunday, May 18.