Arthur C. Brooks to Speak at 2026 Graduates Day

Award-winning author and professor to receive Vanderbilt's prestigious Nichols-Chancellor's Medal

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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Vanderbilt University has announced that award-winning author and professor Arthur C. Brooks will receive the university's prestigious Nichols-Chancellor's Medal when he speaks at the 2026 Commencement activities. Brooks, who specializes in using science and philosophy to help people live their best lives, will deliver the Graduates Day address on May 7 before the university's Commencement ceremony on May 8.

Why it matters

As a renowned scholar and expert on human happiness and well-being, Arthur C. Brooks' Graduates Day address will provide valuable insights and inspiration to a new generation of leaders as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.

The details

Brooks, who is the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Public and Nonprofit Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and professor of management practice at Harvard Business School, has authored 14 books, including New York Times bestsellers. He has also served as the president of The American Enterprise Institute and is a contributor to CBS News and a columnist with The Free Press.

  • Graduates Day will be held on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
  • Vanderbilt University's Commencement ceremony will take place on Friday, May 8, 2026.

The players

Arthur C. Brooks

An award-winning author and professor who specializes in using science and philosophy to help people live their best lives. He is the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Public and Nonprofit Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and professor of management practice at Harvard Business School.

Daniel Diermeier

The Chancellor of Vanderbilt University, who praised Brooks' contributions and announced that he will receive the university's prestigious Nichols-Chancellor's Medal.

Ed Nichols

A Vanderbilt Law School graduate who, along with his wife Janice, created and endowed the Nichols-Chancellor's Medal, one of the university's highest honors.

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What they’re saying

“Arthur Brooks is a distinguished scholar of human potential and the good life whose work explores the intersections of happiness, balance, curiosity and excellence. We will recognize his contributions with the Nichols-Chancellor's Medal-one of Vanderbilt's highest honors-as he joins us to challenge a new generation of leaders to build lives of meaning and impact.”

— Daniel Diermeier, Chancellor, Vanderbilt University (Mirage News)

What’s next

Tickets for the free, ticketed Graduates Day and undergraduate Commencement events will be available to graduating students in early April 2026.

The takeaway

Vanderbilt University's decision to honor Arthur C. Brooks, a renowned scholar and expert on human happiness and well-being, with the prestigious Nichols-Chancellor's Medal and invite him to deliver the Graduates Day address underscores the university's commitment to inspiring and empowering the next generation of leaders to build lives of meaning and impact.