Apple CEO Tim Cook, who graduated from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business in 1988, will deliver the commencement speech for university graduates on Sunday.
Cook was announced as the pick through a video introduction at a men’s basketball game against Pittsburgh in January. The Apple CEO will be joined by student speaker Deeksha Malhotra, a senior, in addressing the more than 5,500 Duke graduates.
“I’m honored to be returning to Duke this weekend to help celebrate the Class of 2018,” Cook wrote in an email on Monday. “I graduated from Fuqua 30 years ago, and the friends and memories I made at Duke are among the most treasured of my life.”
Cook, an Alabama native, came to Fuqua with an undergraduate degree from Auburn University, where he majored in industrial engineering and graduated in 1982. At Fuqua, Cook excelled academically and was named a Fuqua Scholar—an honor reserved for the top 10 percent of students in each class—and earned his master of business administration degree.
He joined Duke’s Board of Trustees in 2015 and has served on its facilities and environment committee, the audit, risk and compliance committee and the business and finance committee.
CEO Cook has participated in several commencement ceremonies over the last several years, in 2010 he delivered a speech at another alma mater of his, Auburn University. he also participated in commencements at George Washington University in 2015 and MIT last year.