The University of Utah is turning to a familiar voice to send off its 2026 graduating class, announcing this week that Arthur Brooks has been chosen as this year’s commencement speaker.
“We are thrilled to welcome Arthur C. Brooks as our 2026 commencement speaker,” University of Utah President Taylor Randall said in a statement. “Arthur’s work offers powerful insights into purpose, happiness, and building a life of meaning. As our graduates step into what comes next, there is no better moment to reflect on how they can shape lives that matter to themselves and to the world.”
A social scientist, longtime conservative thought leader, Harvard Kennedy School professor and bestselling author of several books, including “Love Your Enemies,” “The Conservative Heart” and “From Strength to Strength,” Brooks has spoken to Utah audiences many times over the years.
In 2022, Brooks was selected as one of the U.’s impact scholars at its Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, and since 2005, Brooks has periodically spoken at Brigham Young University — including serving as BYU’s commencement speaker in 2019.
In his role as an impact scholar, Brooks visits the Beehive State each semester and meets with students, staff, faculty, business and community leaders and elected officials to share insights about human flourishing, according to a release from the U. In that role, he’s addressed the Utah Legislature, Utah League of Cities and Towns, the U.’s Council of Academic Deans and higher education partners at BYU and Utah Valley University.
Speaking at a joint Wheatley Institute and Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute lecture in 2024, Brooks spoke about the “magic” of Utah.
“Part of the thing that I’m learning is that this is a distinctive place in our country and in our world. And a big part of what I want to do is I want to bring the magic that’s right here, and I want to bring it to the rest of the country,” Brooks said.
Described by Randall as someone who takes a “positive view on society,” Brooks’ newest book, “The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness,” is set for a March 31 release.
In it, he addresses the modern crisis of meaninglessness and offers his practical, science-based approach to finding purpose.
“Getting happier is a skill like any other. To get enduringly happier, you need to understand the science, change your habits and behavior in tangible ways, and explain what you have learned to others,” Brooks wrote in his January 2026 column for The Free Press. “For the first time in my life, I feel I have a sacred vocation: To lift others up and bring them together. Life feels richer than it ever did, more alive, more full of love.”
Randall is confident Brooks “will inspire and energize our students just as they leave the University of Utah and launch themselves into the world to follow their dreams and create lives of impact through their careers and families,” he said.