Former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Michael K. Powell will deliver a commencement address to over 10,000 Pepperdine University students, visitors and community members at the Seaver College Commencement Ceremony, according to a statement from the university.
Powell was nominated for the FCC by President Bill Clinton in 1997, and was designated as chair by President George W. Bush in 2001. He led initiatives to open up markets in Voice Over Internet Protocol, Wi-Fi and Broadband Power Lines and campaigned for the Do Not Call Registry in 2005. In 2011, he became president and CEO of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.
Powell will also receive the university’s highest honor — an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree — at the ceremony, which will take place on Pepperdine’s Alumni Park on April 30 beginning at 10:30 a.m.
Pepperdine will hold commencement ceremonies for its various schools throughout April and May. Commencement speakers for the university’s graduate programs include Raymond W. Smith, Donald R. Knabe, Linda A. Klein, Michelle King and Reverend Andrew J. Bales.