Mayor Bloomberg Will Be Harvard Commencement Speaker

Photo via Associated Press

Now that he doesn’t have his finger on the pulse of New York City, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg will return to his home state of Massachusetts, and deliver a speech to this year’s graduating class at Harvard University during the school’s 363rd commencement ceremony.

In an announcement released by the school on Wednesday, university officials said Bloomberg’s local ties and experience as a three-term elected official overseeing one of the largest cities in the country make him the perfect pick to bestow his knowledge onto the students passing through the arc and into the real world.

“Mike Bloomberg’s career represents a rare blend of public leadership, private-sector entrepreneurship, and powerful philanthropic engagement,” said Harvard President Drew Faust in a statement. “He has led one of the world’s great cities, built one of the nation’s most influential information services, and generously committed his attention and resources to worthy causes in public health, the environment, civic life, the arts, and—not least of all—education. I greatly look forward to welcoming him in May.”

Besides his time as mayor of New York City, where he took on the devastating impacts of Superstorm Nemo, and life in the metropolitan landscape post-9/11,  Bloomberg has roots both outside of the Harvard campus, and on its grounds. Born and raised in Medford, the speaking engagement will be somewhat of a homecoming for Bloomberg, who got his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and “remained closely engaged with Harvard as an alumnus,” according to school officials.

Last year, former Boston Mayor Tom Menino was awarded an honorary degree from the university, and media mogul Oprah Winfrey delivered the commencement speech to graduates.