Arthur C. Brooks, a “happiness expert,” best-selling author and professor, will give the keynote address for the U’s 2026 general campus-wide commencement.
U President Taylor Randall and Alex Rose, president of the Associated Students of the University of Utah (ASUU), announced the commencement speaker at the Feb. 10 Board of Trustees meeting.
Brooks, Harvard Business School professor, long-time conservative thought leader and, since 2023, a university Impact Scholar, will draw from his extensive writings about the search for happiness and meaning to inspire the Class of 2026.
“We are thrilled to welcome Arthur C. Brooks as our 2026 Commencement speaker,” Randall said. “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.”
The General Commencement is scheduled for Thursday, April 30 at 6 p.m. at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
Brooks is the author of 15 books, including the No. 1 New York Times bestsellers, “Build the Life You Want,” co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, and “From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life.”
In his role as an impact scholar at the U, Brooks visits Utah each semester and meets with students, staff, faculty, business and community leaders and elected officials to share insights about human flourishing. In that role, he’s addressed the State Legislature, Utah League of Cities and Towns, the U’s Council of Academic Deans and higher education partners at Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University.
Brooks’ newest book, “The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness,” will be released on March 31. In it, Brooks addresses the modern crisis of meaninglessness and offers his practical, science-based approach to finding purpose.
“Getting happier is a skill like any other,” Brooks wrote in his inaugural column for The Free Press. The self-described “miserable wretch” continued, “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.”
“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 believes Brooks’ almost step-by-step guide to nurturing and growing contentment “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.”
Brooks follows several inspirational University of Utah commencement speakers, including ESPN host and U alum Holly Rowe in 2025, and two other university impact scholars—Interfaith America founder Eboo Patel and UNITE founder Tim Shriver. In 2022, Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser spoke at commencement.
More about Arthur Brooks
Brooks is one of the world’s leading experts on the science of human happiness, appearing in the media and traveling the world to teach people in private companies, universities, public agencies, and faith communities how they can live happier lives and bring greater well-being to others.
Brooks’ newest book, “The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness,” will be released on March 31. In it, Brooks addresses the modern crisis of meaninglessness and offers his practical, science-based approach to finding purpose. Brooks takes on the modern technological changes he says have rewired our brains with a six-part plan, including his unique blend of philosophy, faith and social science, to combat a sense of emptiness with renewed focus and a search for fulfillment.
Brooks, joined by leading thinkers, will host a virtual event on March 27 to explore the book in greater depth and discuss how we can better answer life’s biggest questions of meaning. Learn more at themeaningofyourlife.com.
