Student Speaker

The Commencement Student Speaker Committee invites all undergraduate and graduate students eligible for graduation to apply to deliver the student address at the upcoming commencement ceremony.  Giving the student address during the ceremony is an opportunity to reflect upon your time as a Falcon, how UWRF impacted you through your experiences, share inspiration and encouragement, and convey a message for the future. 

Eligible students must be graduating in the semester of submission, be in good academic standing.

We are seeking a student speaker for three separate ceremonies to represent CEBAH/Graduate Studies at 8:30 a.m., CAFES at Noon and CAS at 3:30 p.m.  

• Guidelines for video submission are as follows (please keep video under 5 minutes):
  • Why are you interested in being a Commencement Speaker?
  • Please share with us about a time you had to speak in public and how you prepared
  • Share a story about one of your significant experiences at UWRF and how it impacted you
  • Walk us through the main points you would like to cover in your speech, answering the prompt:
    • How UWRF changed / impacted you through your experiences
• Selection of commencement speaker will be based on the following criteria:
  • The candidate:
    • Demonstrates a strong level of Falcon Pride (connection to UWRF community and experiences at UWRF)
    • Prepares a thoughtful, relatable message outline that will appeal to a range of graduates
    • Conveys a level of self-confidence in public speaking with an appropriateness of language and style

One student representative for each of the 3 colleges will be selected to represent your class at the upcoming commencement. The speech should be 3-5 minutes in length and reflect experiences at UW-River Falls.  Speeches must be submitted by one person (no groups will be considered).

To submit your video, please follow the submission process below:

Upload your video to your UWRF One Drive account and email your link to: commencement@uwrf.edu

How to Upload and Share Your Video

Please reference the step-by-step instructions below to access your One Drive account and creating a link to share your video:

1. Visit  OneDrive for Business at UWRF and select the "Office Web App" link under "Using a Web Browser to access OneDrive" 
2. You will be prompted to log in. 
3. After logging in you will see your email messages. The OneDrive option can be found by clicking on the dot grid in the upper left corner.
4. Upon arriving in OneDrive, you will find a work space where you may create folders and drag and drop files. 
5. Share a file by creating a link that you can send in an email

The deadline for the video submission is March 26, 2024.

The selection committee will review all applicants to select one (1) finalist. The selected student speaker will be notified by April 9, 2024.  The student commencement speaker selected will submit their final speech to the committee by April 23, 2024. 

Any questions regarding the student speaker submission process can be directed to: Wendy Stocker, Executive Assistant, Office of the Provost, 715.425.4641 or email Commencement@uwrf.edu .  Thank you for your consideration of this opportunity!