--- title: Betsy DeVos at Bethune-Cookman: Read Transcript of Speech description: "I'm grateful for the opportunity to speak with you, and particularly with those who have disagreed with the invitation for me to be here" canonical: https://time.com/4774574/betsy-devos-bethune-cookman-university-commencement-2017-speech-read/ author: Catherine Trautwein article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-10T19:33:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:01:54.875Z article:section: Politics og:title: Read Betsy DeVos's Commencement Speech at Bethune-Cookman University og:description: The crowd booed and turned their backs on DeVos og:url: https://time.com/4774574/betsy-devos-bethune-cookman-university-commencement-2017-speech-read/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9963d62417cd92e1/6988ccc797cdff43806b0a3b/betsy-devos-commencement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: Betsy DeVos Addresses Employees At Department Of Education og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Read Betsy DeVos's Commencement Speech at Bethune-Cookman University twitter:description: The crowd booed and turned their backs on DeVos twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9963d62417cd92e1/6988ccc797cdff43806b0a3b/betsy-devos-commencement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:56 video:published: 2017-05-10 section: politics topics: commencement address, Bethune-Cookman University, higher education, democracy, disagreement, student protest, graduation genre: news, event coverage tones: tense, defiant, formal, disrupted emotions: frustration (high), defiance (medium), pride (low) sentiment: negative audience: graduates, educators, policy observers, general news readers people: Betsy DeVos organizations: Bethune-Cookman University content_suitability: politics [00:00-01:56]; health controversy [00:06-00:31] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Read Betsy DeVos's Commencement Speech at Bethune-Cookman University > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=28719542-87de-4480-8293-611edcd9f437&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Students Boo, Turn Backs on Betsy DeVos During Commencement at Historically Black University [Watch (HLS stream): Students Boo, Turn Backs on Betsy DeVos During Commencement at Historically Black University](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/wDBb36q8.m3u8) (1:56)  _Published 2017-05-10. Students at the historically black Bethune-Cookman University booed and chanted during Betsy DeVos' commencement address on Wednesday, at times drowning out the Education Secretary and forcing the university president to come to her defense_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary Betsy DeVos begins a commencement address at Bethune-Cookman University, thanking the audience and saying she is honored to be a Wildcat. She acknowledges those who disagreed with her invitation and stresses that higher education and democracy depend on conversing with people one disagrees with. The transcript captures heavy noise and crowd reaction, and the speaker warns that degrees will be mailed if the behavior continues before asking graduates to be seated. ## Key points - DeVos says she is honored to become a Wildcat, addressing the Bethune-Cookman University class of 2017. (00:00) - DeVos acknowledges those who have disagreed with the invitation for her to speak at the commencement. (00:06) - DeVos says one of the hallmarks of higher education and democracy is the ability to converse with and learn from those with whom we disagree. (00:31) - DeVos warns that if the behavior continues, the graduates' degrees will be mailed to them. (00:32) - DeVos tells the graduates to choose which way they want to go, drawing applause. (00:33) - DeVos asks the graduates to be seated, repeating the request as noise continues in the hall. (00:33) - DeVos says she is very grateful for the opportunity to be with the graduates that day. (00:34) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:31] Opening remarks and welcome. DeVos thanks the university, calls it an honor to become a Wildcat, and acknowledges those who disagreed with her invitation. - [00:31 to 01:56] Disagreement, behavior and request to be seated. DeVos speaks on conversing with those one disagrees with, warns about continued behavior, and asks graduates to be seated amid noise. ## Key quotes - [00:00] Betsy DeVos: "I am honored to become a wildcat." - [00:31] Betsy DeVos: "One of the hallmarks of higher education, and of democracy, is the ability to converse with and learn from those Those with whom we disagree." - [00:32] Betsy DeVos: "Your degrees will be mailed to you." - [00:33] Betsy DeVos: "Graduates to be, would you please be seated?" ## Questions this video answers - What did Betsy DeVos say she was honored to become at the commencement? [00:00] - What does DeVos say are hallmarks of higher education and democracy? [00:31] - What consequence did DeVos warn graduates about if the behavior continued? [00:32] - What did DeVos ask the graduates to do as noise continued? [00:33] ## Content suitability - politics [00:00-01:56]: Education Secretary speaking amid political disagreement over her invitation. - health controversy [00:06-00:31]: Audience disagreement and disruption over the speaker's invitation. by [Catherine Trautwein](https://time.com/author/catherine-trautwein/) ## Catherine Trautwein May 10, 2017 7:33 PM UTC Students at the historically black Bethune-Cookman University booed and chanted during Betsy DeVos' commencement address on Wednesday, at times drowning out the Education Secretary and forcing the university president to come to her defense by [Catherine Trautwein](https://time.com/author/catherine-trautwein/) ## Catherine Trautwein May 10, 2017 7:33 PM UTC Education Secretary Betsy DeVos gave the 2017 commencement address at [Bethune-Cookman University](http://time.com/4774450/betsy-devos-commencement-boo-bethune-cookman/), a historically-black institution, on Wednesday. The speech was marked by controversy as students booed and turned their backs on DeVos. At one point University President Edison Jackson intervened, saying that if the disruption kept up students would get their degrees in the mail. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to speak with you, and particularly with those who have disagreed with the invitation for me to be here,” DeVos said. “One of the hallmarks of higher education and of democracy is the ability to converse with and learn from those with whom we disagree.” Here is a full transcript of her prepared remarks, as provided by the [U.S. Department of Education](https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/prepared-remarks-us-secretary-education-betsy-devos-bethune-cookman-universitys-2017-spring-commencement): --- > “” --- ## Transcript [00:00] Thank you so very very much for this great honor and [00:00] privilege. [ APPLAUSE ] I am honored to become a [00:00] wildcat. Wildcat. [ APPLAUSE ] And it's a real honour [00:00] and privilege to be with you as we celebrate the [00:00] Bethune cookman University class of 2017. I'm grateful [00:02] for the opportunity to speak [00:06] with you. And particularly with [00:10] those who have disagreed with [00:14] the invitation [00:31] for me to be here. [ NOISE ] One of the hallmarks of [00:32] higher education, and of democracy, is the ability to [00:32] converse with and learn from those Those with whom [00:32] we disagree. [ NOISE ] If this, [ NOISE ] behavior [00:32] continues, [ NOISE ] Your degrees will be mailed to [00:32] you. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Choose which way you want to [00:33] go. [ APPLAUSE ] [ NOISE ] Graduates to be, would you [00:33] please be seated? [ NOISE ] Graduates. Would you [00:33] please be seated. [ NOISE ] As I said, I'm very grateful [00:34] for the opportunity to be with you today. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4774574/betsy-devos-bethune-cookman-university-commencement-2017-speech-read/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4774574/betsy-devos-bethune-cookman-university-commencement-2017-speech-read/"},"headline":"Read Betsy DeVos's Commencement Speech at Bethune-Cookman University","datePublished":"2017-05-10T19:33:02.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-08T09:01:54.875Z","description":"The commencement address was marked by controversy","url":"https://time.com/4774574/betsy-devos-bethune-cookman-university-commencement-2017-speech-read/","keywords":["Education","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9963d62417cd92e1/6988ccc797cdff43806b0a3b/betsy-devos-commencement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Catherine Trautwein","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/catherine-trautwein/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9963d62417cd92e1/6988ccc797cdff43806b0a3b/betsy-devos-commencement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Betsy DeVos Addresses Employees At Department Of Education","caption":"Betsy DeVos Addresses Employees At Department Of Education","creditText":"Andrew Harrer—Bloomberg/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/education/","name":"Education"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4774574/betsy-devos-bethune-cookman-university-commencement-2017-speech-read/","name":"Read Betsy DeVos's Commencement Speech at Bethune-Cookman University"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Students Boo, Turn Backs on Betsy DeVos During Commencement at Historically Black University","description":"Students at the historically black Bethune-Cookman University booed and chanted during Betsy DeVos' commencement address on Wednesday, at times drowning out the Education Secretary and forcing the university president to come to her defense","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/wDBb36q8/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-05-10T18:24:59.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/wDBb36q8.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4774574/betsy-devos-bethune-cookman-university-commencement-2017-speech-read/","duration":"PT1M56S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4774574/betsy-devos-bethune-cookman-university-commencement-2017-speech-read/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```