While President Barack Obama graduation’s talk at the University of Michigan last weekend focused national media attention on the 2010 college and university commencement season and issues facing new college graduates, the president’s scheduled address at Hampton University, a historically Black institution, this Sunday should help bring a spotlight to minority-serving institutions.

The president will have help in that task because on Saturday first lady Michelle Obama will send off the students at the University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff, a historically Black public university. Also on Saturday, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will speak to graduating students at Xavier University of Louisiana and Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez will deliver the commencement address at Northeastern Illinois University.

In all, 11 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and at least 13 Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) will host senior level administration officials as commencement speakers.  

“The number of Obama administration people speaking at HBCU and HSI commencements is unprecedented,” Dr. John Silvanus Wilson, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, said at a recent Education Sector policy forum on educational successes at minority-serving institutions.

Other officials participating in graduation ceremonies include Secretary Robert Gates, Department of Defense (Morehouse College); Secretary Hilda Solis, Department of Labor (Long Beach City College); Administrator Charles Bolden, NASA (Huston-Tillotson University); Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to the president (Morgan State University); and Melody Barnes, director, White House Domestic Policy Council (Virginia Union University).

Juan Sepulveda, executive director of the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanics, said his office made a deliberate effort to reach out to administration officials on behalf of HSIs, a number of which are community colleges, that requested help with graduation speakers.