Anthony Fauci headlines speakers for Michigan State's spring commencements

Mark Johnson
Lansing State Journal
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies to a House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies hearing, about the budget request for the National Institutes of Health, May 11, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert who became a household name, and the subject of partisan attacks, left the federal government after more than five decades of service. He is scheduled to speak at MSU's graduation in May.

LANSING — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the man who steered the nation through the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, is scheduled to headline a list of national leaders scheduled to speak during Michigan State University's spring graduation ceremonies.

Fauci is the former chief medical adviser to the president and past director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He will join Jill Hruby, undersecretary for nuclear security for the U.S. Department of Energy and administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, and Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to sit on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and an MSU faculty member in address graduates during the spring commencement ceremonies on May 5.

Fauci will receive an honorary doctorate in humanities. Hruby will receive an honorary doctorate of science and Cook will be awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities, according to a press release.

"In awarding honorary degrees, these notable leaders join the class of 2023 as beacons of excellence in our Spartans' futures," said MSU Interim President Teresa Woodruff in the press release. "Their stories from their college careers and early commitment to creating a better tomorrow will resonate and inspire graduating Spartans as they take this next step in their journey to change Michigan and the world."

Lisa Cook, associate professor of economics and international relations, speaks to students during a post-election gathering Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016, at MSU's Eli Broad Business College in East Lansing. Cook, the first Black woman to sit on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, is scheduled to speak to MSU graduates in May.

Hruby is scheduled to address master's and educational specialist degree graduates at 9 a.m. The undergraduate graduation ceremonies will feature Cook as the keynote speaker at 1 p.m. and Fauci will address doctoral students at 3:30 p.m.

Fauci advised President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on COVID-19 response. He became a household name after speaking about the coronavirus and the government response in public interviews and countless White House press briefings. Fauci sparred with Trump and some Republican legislators over the COVID-19 vaccines, COVID-19 treatments and the overall severity of the virus.

He publicly advocated for social distancing and masks in public settings before COVID-19 vaccines became available. Fauci also was the subject of political attacks and death threats and was given a security detail for his protection.

U.S. House Republicans have been questioning all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the origin. House Republicans claim officials worked to conceal the fact that it leaked from a lab in Wuhan. Fauci has called the Republican criticism nonsense. The U.S. Energy Department has joined the FBI in saying with "low confidence" that COVID-19 likely spread from a Chinese lab.

Fauci stepped down in December.

All of the main graduation ceremonies will be held in the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Other ceremonies will be held in the Wharton Center. The ceremonies will also be live-streamed through MSU's commencement website commencement.msu.edu.

Those who attend the graduation ceremonies are prohibited from bringing in bags or purses. Cameras and camcorders are allowed, but camera bags and cases are banned. Food and drinks, including bottled water, also is banned, though there will be limited concessions offered at both the Breslin Center and Wharton Center.

Additional items that are banned include noisemakers, selfie sticks, pets, signs and weapons of any kind. Those attending must also pass through a metal detector when entering the facilities.

Jill Hruby, under secretary of energy for nuclear security and administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, speaks during an event on Thursday, Jan. 26 celebrating a new fire station and Emergency Operations Center built at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. She is scheduled to speak to MSU graduates in May.

USA Today and The Associated Press contributed. Contact Mark Johnson at majohnson2@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByMarkJohnson.