By Delaney Runge
Copy Editor
Each year, a prominent public figure is chosen to speak at Washington College’s commencement.
For this graduation, the Grammy Award-Winning jazz artist Christian McBride will be filling this role at the 241st graduation exercises on May 19.
According to the College’s website, McBride serves as the artistic director for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Newport Jazz Festival, the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. He is also a bassist, composer, and bandleader, and hosts NPR’s “Jazz Night in America” and “The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian” on SiriusXM.
These accomplishments, paired with the work he does in the jazz community, contributed to the choice for McBride to be the commencement speaker this year, according to Chief of Staff and Vice President for Planning and Policy Dr. Vic Sensenig.
“McBride is an amazing musician, but he’s also done more than creating music,” Dr. Sensenig said. “He’s turned into an ambassador for this entire genre of jazz music and cares passionately about education, so it’s that combination of significant creative accomplishment combined with the spirit of public service and a passion for education.”
While the speaker gets the chance to make their own remarks at the ceremony, they also receive an honorary degree from the College.
“We want to offer honorary degrees to people who have done distinguished things in their lives and careers from every discipline,” President of the College Dr. Michael Sosulski said. “We want to honor the fact that knowledge comes in every possible form and permutation and so we are making sure that we have the fine arts, the foreign languages, the social sciences, the natural sciences, all of it represented. I think that’s something we should be intentional about.”
Senior class president Jordan Fairchild believes that granting McBride with the honorary degree aligns with the College’s values.
“I think it’s awesome we are going to be acknowledging his accomplishments with an honorary degree from Washington College,” Fairchild said. “As a liberal arts institution, we value those who contribute to the world in multiple ways, and we especially value the arts. This is a great way to stick to our values and mission statement.”
Senior Sarah Poirier, who is a music major, feels that having McBride as a speaker is a nice nod to the music lovers of campus.
“It’s good to have [McBride] come and speak about jazz and also music because there is a music community on this campus of different students and faculty,” Poirier said. “I feel like we can be sometimes hidden, or some people don’t really know, and I feel like having somebody come out and say, ‘Hey, I’m a musician and I make a change in this world through my music that I do,’ I think that’s a really…good initiative to bring to bring forth for the upcoming generation going out into the world.”
In addition to McBride’s own familial roots to the Eastern Shore, he has been to Chestertown in 2021 to perform at the annual jazz festival.
Senior Kaitlyn McCaffery was able to see him perform at that year’s festival and is excited to hear him speak at this year’s commencement.
“I am over the moon that Christian McBride is our commencement speaker,” McCaffery said.
“Him coming here just seems right for me. My official on campus experience at Washington College started with him and it’s ending with my jazz SCE and him as our speaker. It’s truly full circle.”
McCaffery’s sentiments of enthusiasm about McBride coming to the College are shared by Dr. Sosulski.
“I’m just a little giddy about it, honestly,” Dr. Sosulski said. “[McBride’s] definitely one of my heroes.”