Commencement Speakers Announced: Alcorn State, Cal State Monterey Bay, Central Mich., Claremont Graduate, College of Holy Cross, Eckerd, Mississippi College, National Labor College, New England, School of Visual Arts, U. of Hartford, Wellesley, Willamette

The following colleges and universities have announced their commencement speakers for spring 2012:

• Alcorn State University: Xernona Clayton, a television host and executive at Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.; and Randal Pinkett, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of BCT Partners.
• California State University at Monterey Bay: Economist Alice Rivlin, founding director of the Congressional Budget Office.
• Central Michigan University: Brian Calley, Michigan’s lieutenant governor; Steven Triezenberg, director of Van Andel Education Institute; John Kulhavi, wealth management adviser at Merrill Lynch; and Joseph Wang, professor of nanoengineering at the University of California at San Diego.
• Claremont Graduate University: Telle Whitney, president and CEO of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology.
• College of the Holy Cross: Paul Farmer, founding director of Partners In Health.
• Eckerd College: Sylvia Earle, an oceanographer who is former chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• Mississippi College: Dan Grafton, the retired president and CEO of Vertex Aerospace; and Jerry Rankin, the Southern Baptist leader.
• National Labor College: Reverend James Lawson, the civil rights activist.
• New England College: Andre Dubus III, the writer.
• School of Visual Arts: Laurie Anderson, the artist and musician.
• University of Hartford: U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, and Lewis Hyde, the poet and cultural critic.
• Wellesley College: Melissa Harris-Perry, the MSNBC host and Nation columnist.
• Willamette University: Gloria Rodriguez, the founder and former CEO of AVANCE, a nonprofit organization providing education and family support services to predominantly Hispanic families in low-income, at-risk communities.