By Karen DeMarco

Approximately 2,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students will celebrate their commencement during a ceremony on Sunday May 22 in which they will hear several speakers, two of whom are University alumni.

Commencement will take place in three parts. The first, in the James M. Shuart Stadium at 10 a.m., is the undergraduate ceremony where Chris Albrecht, chairman and chief executive officer of HBO, will speak, Ginny Ehrlich-Greenburg said, director of University relations.

Albrecht is responsible for the overall management of HBO and has been in his current position since 2002.

“He has made HBO a leader in the entertainment industry,” Melissa Connolly said, assistant vice president of University relations.

He also had a hand in developing and producing sitcoms such as Martin and Everybody Loves Raymond. Albrecht received a bachelor’s degree in dramatic literature from the University in 1973, Ehrlich-Greenburg said.

The graduate and law school ceremonies will both commence in the Hofstra University Arena.

Speaking at the graduate ceremony will be alumnus Avi Arad, CEO of Marvel Studios.

He has produced blockbuster movies such as Spiderman, Spiderman II, X-men, X2: X-men United, The Hulk and many others. Arad studied industrial management at the University.

“Bringing industry leaders back to Hofstra gives graduates an ideal to aim for,” Connolly said.

Senator Charles E. Schumer will be speaking at the Law School ceremony and will be receiving a Presidential Medal of Honor, said Connolly.

He has worked towards improving the quality of the educational system by developing a “Marshall Plan for Teachers” that would provide a series of incentives to attract the best and brightest to the teaching profession.

The Provost’s Committee on Honorary Degrees, which is made up of the provost, deans, selected professors and some senior administrators, chose this year’s commencement speakers.

After the committee made the selection, the Board of Trustees approved the nominations, said Ehrlich-Greenburg.

Anyone, including students, can nominate a person as speaker for the commencement ceremonies by writing a letter to the committee.

Letters should include the academic, professional and personal accomplishments of the person nominated.

When choosing a commencement speaker, the committee considers whether the person is a graduate of the University, has connection to or has provided service for the University over the years, and the person’s impact on his respective professional field.