The 43rd Governor of Illinois, Jay Robert Pritzker, will deliver the Commencement address at Knox College this year and receive an honorary degree. The ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 8, on the South Lawn of Old Main.
Pritzker was initially elected in 2018 and recently re-elected in 2022. With a record for democratic support, Pritzker is known for his progressive policy agenda.
Key accomplishments of his administration include tackling Illinois’ annual financial backlog and raising the minimum wage to a livable rate by lifting it from $8.25 per hour in 2019 to $15 per hour by 2025. He also made significant investments in education, infrastructure, and clean energy, while promoting growth in electric vehicle manufacturing and quantum computing.
Governor J.B. Pritzker’s ceremonial send-off to the class of 2025 highlights Knox’s mission “to explore, understand and improve ourselves, our society and our world.”
“It is a long-standing Knox tradition to award honorary degrees to both state and national public servants. Governor Pritzker follows a long line of public servants from both sides of the aisle who have visited or received honorary degrees from Knox, starting with Abraham Lincoln in 1860,” Vice President for Communications, Megan Scott said. “Since that time, the College has also welcomed several U.S. Presidents including George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Theodore Roosevelt; U.S. Representative John Lewis; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia; Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; and U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, among many others.”
The 2025 Commencement ceremony will mark a significant milestone for graduating seniors and the entire Knox community. As Governor Pritzker joins a historic list of speakers, his presence continues the College’s tradition of engaging with national figures who reflect public service and civic leadership.
