Drew University Announces Speakers, Honorary Degree Recipients for 2025 Commencement Ceremonies

Author David Epstein and foundation executive Craig Drinkard 

March 2025 – David Epstein and Craig Drinkard will serve as the speakers and honorary degree recipients for Drew University’s 157th commencement ceremonies celebrating the graduates of its three schools.

Epstein, a New York Times bestselling author, will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters and deliver the commencement address for the ceremony celebrating the College of Liberal Arts Class of 2025 and graduate students in the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies data science, education, finance, and teaching programs. This ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 17, at 1 p.m.

Epstein is the author of No. 1 New York Times bestseller Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World and bestseller The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance. He has also been an investigative reporter at ProPublica and senior writer at Sports Illustrated. His TED Talks on human performance have been viewed more than 12 million times.

“David Epstein has so much to share with the Drew University community as we lean into innovation and move toward an interdisciplinary and problem-based approach to learning,” said President Hilary Link, PhD. “His argument that people need to have a broad range of experiences and knowledge along with intellectual curiosity to solve the world’s complex problems is the perfect fit for our mission and approach at Drew, particularly as we become more agile and adapt to our fast-changing world.”

Craig Drinkard, the executive officer of the Victoria Foundation, will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters and deliver the commencement address for the ceremony honoring the Drew Theological School Class of 2025 and graduate students in Caspersen’s arts and letters, history and culture, and medical humanities, health, and society programs. This ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 17, at 9:30 a.m.

At the Victoria Foundation, a private foundation serving marginalized communities and causes in Newark, Drinkard has implemented a strategic framework rooted in community building, economic justice, youth self-determination, and responding to pressing needs. As part of this work, Drinkard has helped deploy more than $13 million annually in grants and investments in Newark. He is the first Black person to lead the Victoria Foundation in its 101-year history. Drinkard is also a board member on a number of nonprofit and philanthropic organizations.