Files in this collection were created from 1952 through 2012. Materials include programs, memos, invitations, photographs, speeches, schedules, press releases, and press clippings. Most of the files concern baccalaureate, university commencement, and departmental commencement exercises. Other files include basic biographical information--including photographs--on honorary degree recipients and their speeches, along with a summary list of recipients from 1952 through 1997. Some memos discussing the planning of commencements are included. This collection also contains press clippings and correspondence regarding the controversy about the publication of E. L. Doctorow's 1989 commencement address in the Brandeis Review.