Lisa Kudrow '85 to be 2010 Commencement speaker

Lisa Kudrow '85, winner of an Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for her work in the television phenomenon Friends, has accepted Vassar's invitation to deliver the 2010 Commencement address.

Now a trustee of the College, Kudrow graduated from Vassar with a degree in biology before going on to garner over 50 acting awards and nominations for performances in Friends, The Comeback, Analyze This, Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion and The Opposite Sex. Known for her range in genre, Kudrow has infused her career with what The New York Times called "a perfect balance of drama and humor."

The invitation to speak this spring was made by President of the College Catharine Bond Hill after an extensive list of suggested speakers was generated this fall by a joint group of students, faculty and administrators, including Class of 2010 President Selina Strasburger, Professor of History Rebecca Edwards, Associate Professor of Chemistry Christopher Smart, Associate Professor of Music Kathryn Libin, Assistant to the President John Feroe and Director of Campus Activities Teresa Quinn.

"Lisa is a natural choice, and I'm thrilled she has agreed to be the speaker," said Hill in an interview with The Miscellany News on Tuesday, Feb. 2. "She brings the excitement of her work as an Emmy Award-winning actor, and her other work in the entertainment industry, as well as her dedication and commitment to Vassar through serving on the Board of Trustees."

Aside from her fulfilling fiduciary duties to the College as a member of the Board of Trustees, Kudrow has been an active participant in the Vassar and New York Stage and Film's Powerhouse Theater summer program, and has even made cameo appearances in College Relation's "Fourth Floor Main" webisodes.

Although as a child Kudrow dreamt of a career in acting, she developed a passion for research biology under the Vassar College science program. "When I was a kid, I knew I wanted to be an actress," explained Kudrow in a 2009 interview with College Relations, "and in junior high I used to make up little sketches and do a lot of drama, and I liked it a lot. But then in high school and at Vassar, I decided I was going to do something that I had respect for." So, she explained, she began her studies in biology. Once in a 1995 interview, Kudrow told a New York Times reporter that she found Vassar sciences so challenging that she "studied for about 10 hours a day."

Though Kudrow began her career in acting only months after her 1985 graduation from the College, she held tight to her love of Vassar sciences. "I loved taking biology here," said Kudrow to College Relations. "Especially at Vassar, the Biology Department is very creative—it's not dry science. It's very creative work."

Following her graduation, Kudrow was accepted to the Groundlings, a renowned improvisional comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, Calif. Her performance in the sketch group led to early-career appearances on Cheers, Coach, Bob and, eventually, Mad About You. In 1994, Kudrow began her decade-long run on the hit sitcom Friends, where she was the first of the six castmates to win an Emmy Award and became the highest-paid television actress in 2005, grossing $1 million per episode for the penultimate and final seasons of the show.

Strasburger, who will speak before Kudrow at Vassar's 146th Commencement ceremony, explained that she's grateful that the 2010 speaker will be a Vassar graduate who can relate to "the Vassar experience."

"One of the reasons I'm excited about this is that it's great we're having a speaker that has a Vassar connection," said Strasburger. "There's a lot to be said for someone having the Vassar experience who's been at Vassar, who's taken the classes and who will give a talk that really connects back to our college. If anyone can show what can be done with a Vassar education, it's definitely Lisa Kudrow."

Strasburgur continued, predicting that Kudrow's address will "be humorous, but also have an important message to offer," she said. "It's important to have someone that students can connect with and that students can be excited about. She's feisty, and the Class of 2010 is definitely feisty."

"She's got a great sense of humor," added Hill, "and believes in Vassar and its mission. She's a loyal friend of the College and she'll do a wonderful job."