Senior Oration Application
The Senior Oration is a regular part of commencement in which a graduating senior delivers a three to five-minute speech to the commencement audience. The Senior Orator will be chosen by a selection committee, in a multi-stage process.
The Senior Oration is characterized by a cohesive theme and often includes anecdotes from the orator's individual college experience that resonate with the audience.
Students may apply by submitting a brief application, written draft speech (500 words max) and intro video by the stated deadline, February 14, 2025.
Students may also be nominated by a faculty or staff member, and those students will be notified and asked to submit an application.
- Selection Timeline
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February 14, 2025: Deadline for applications
March: Semi-finalists selected and notified; provided with feedback to help refine their speech.
March/April: Semi-finalists present in person to the selection committee. 2-3 minutes incorporating the feedback. Selection committee meets after presentations to select winning orator and an alternate. Notify applicants of decisions
April/May: Selection committee will work with students on finalization and preparation for Commencement rehearsal.
- Preparing Your Video
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Your video should respond to the following points:
- Introduce yourself
- Introduce the theme of your speech and what you hope to share with the audience
- Describe how your theme will relate to the audience and what goal you have in sharing your ideas
- Tell us why you want to be a Senior Orator
- The video link should be 1-2 minutes long
The committee will evaluate your video based on your response to these prompts and your presentation style.
- Uploading Your Video
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You will be required to provide a link to your video for the committee to review. All videos must be provided via YouTube. Instructions are below.
If you are on a mobile device:
Download the YouTube app and log in to your account. If you do not have an account, log in with your Geneseo credentials.
Record the video on your mobile device.
Open the YouTube app, click the + button in the bottom middle and choose upload a video. Select the video from your device, click next, and on the "Add details" screen give your video a descriptive title and be sure you set it to "unlisted"--private videos will not be viewable by the selection committee.
Once the video has processed, use the "share" button below the video and then choose "copy link." This is the link you should submit with your application.
If you are on desktop:
Visit the YouTube website and log in to your account. If you do not have an account, log in with your Geneseo credentials.
Record the video and save the file to your desktop.
On the YouTube website, click the + button inside the video camera icon, located in the upper right corner of your screen. Choose "upload" a video and select your video file. Follow the prompts and on the "Add details" screen, give your video a descriptive title and be sure you set it to "unlisted"--private videos will not be viewable by the selection committee.
Once the video has processed, use the "share" button below the video and then choose "copy link." This is the link you should submit with your application.
- Selection Committee Members
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- Mackenzie Gerringer, Assistant Professor of Biology
- Wendi Kinney, Chief of Staff
- Chip Matthews, Director of Student Life
- Lee Pierce, Assistant Professor of Communication
- Robyn Rime, Senior Writer & Editor, Communications & Marketing
- Bryan Rivera, EOP Counselor, Access Opportunity Programs
If you have any questions, please contact Wendi Kinney at 585-245-5501 or kinney@geneseo.edu.