Jane Lynch will deliver the keynote address at Cornell’s Senior Convocation on May 21 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in Barton Hall, giving the Class of 2026 a high-profile sendoff as the university’s student-run celebration moves toward its biggest day.
The student-run 2026 Convocation Committee announced Lynch’s selection on April 27 during a senior class event on Ho Plaza, and undergraduates in the Class of 2026 got first priority to reserve tickets at 6 p.m. the same day. Graduate and professional students can reserve tickets beginning May 13 at noon, followed by the general student body, staff and faculty on May 18 at noon.
Chinaza Politis, a member of the Convocation Committee, said the group was “super excited about Jane Lynch” and had kept her “top of mind” because the committee wanted an alum who could reflect “that Big Red spirit.” Politis also said survey responses pointed the committee toward “a fun, light-hearted, high-energy event,” adding that Lynch “really, really embodies all of those principles.”
Lynch brings a long television and stage résumé to the role. She hosts the Fox game show Celebrity Weakest Link and won the 2011 Golden Globe for best supporting actress for playing McKinley High cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester in Glee, where she appeared in all 121 episodes over the show’s six-year run. She won five primetime Emmy awards, shared two Screen Actors Guild awards for ensemble casts for Glee in 2010 and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in 2020, and was nominated for an Emmy in 2024 for hosting The Weakest Link and for her portrayal of Sazz Pataki in Only Murders in the Building.
Her broader credits include a Broadway debut as Miss Hannigan in the 2013 revival of Annie, a starring role as Rosie Brice in the 2022 Broadway revival of Funny Girl and a turn as former attorney general Janet Reno in Manhunt in 2017. Lynch grew up in Dolton, Illinois, in suburban Chicago, and her 2011 memoir Happy Accidents became a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller.
Convocation itself is a student-led celebration by and for the undergraduate graduating class, and this year’s program will also feature a student speaker, student organization performances and remarks from university leadership. A pre-Convocation event will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Barton Hall with performances, snacks, giveaways and a senior class photo scheduled for about 12:40 p.m. Last year’s Convocation speaker was ballet star Misty Copeland.
The choice fits the point of the event: a Cornell alumna with a broad career and a recognizable public voice, speaking to seniors as they close out their undergraduate years. For the Class of 2026, Lynch is not just a name on a program; she is the keynote the committee says it chose to give the ceremony the celebratory, spirited finish students asked for.