Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg Named Harvard Commencement Speaker

CAMBRIDGE, MA – Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg will return to Harvard this spring to deliver the 2017 commencement address, the university announced Tuesday.

Zuckerberg founded Facebook in 2004 while he was a sophomore at Harvard. Originally intended to be a social networking platform solely for Harvard students, it eventually expanded to campuses nationwide before becoming a global phenomenon.

Zuckerberg was a member of the Class of 2006, but dropped out to focus on developing Facebook.

"Mark Zuckerberg’s leadership has profoundly altered the nature of social engagement worldwide. Few inventions in modern times can rival Facebook in its far-reaching impact on how people around the globe interact with one another," Harvard President Drew Faust told the Harvard Gazette. "And few individuals can rival Mark Zuckerberg in his drive to change our world through the innovative use of technology, as well as his commitment to advance science, enhance education, and expand opportunity through the pursuit of philanthropy."

Harvard will hold its 366th Commencement Ceremony May 25.

Photo credit: Alessio Jacona via Flickr