James Patterson, a top-selling author worldwide for the past two decades, will give the keynote speech at the UW-Madison Spring 2020 Commencement alongside alumni speaker John Felder.
Patterson is considered one of the most succesful authors of adult fiction, primarily for his Alex Cross and Women’s Murder Club series. He had 96 titles reach No. 1 on the New York Times’ Best Sellers List.
“We are thrilled that someone of James Patterson’s stature, international acclaim and generosity has agreed to share his insights with our graduates,” Chancellor Rebecca Blank said. “Very few people have reached Mr. Patterson’s level of success or had such a profound impact on education and the lives of students.”
Felder was one of the organizers of the Black Student Strike of 1969 at UW-Madison. This year’s spring commencement ceremony will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Department of Afro-American Studies, established in response to the demands of the students in the strike.
Commencement will take place Saturday, May 9 at 12:00 p.m. at Camp Randall. Patterson and Felder will also speak May 8 at the Kohl Center during the commencement ceremony for Ph.D., MFA and medical degrees.
