Best-selling author James Patterson was announced to give the University of Wisconsin spring 2026 commencement speech at Camp Randall, according to UW News. Patterson is set to give his commencement speech May 9, according to UW News.
Patterson is best known for many successful book series, according to the James Patterson Website. He coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton and Michael Crichton and collaborated on multiple #1 bestselling nonfiction novels, according to the site.
Patterson was the recipient of an Edgar Award, 10 Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation and the National Humanities Medal, according to his site.
His wife, Susan Patterson, is a notable alumna of the UW School of Education and known as a co-author of children’s books, according to the UW School of Education. Patterson declared himself an honorary badger because of his wife’s alma mater, according to UWSOE.
The Pattersons have donated over $240 million to literacy-focused programs at UW, according to UW News.
Patterson and his wife donated a $5 million gift to the university in 2020, when UWSOE began its Wisconsin Teacher Pledge program, according to UW.
The program offers financial support for students who were aspiring teachers in exchange for a “pledge” to teach three to four years at a K-12th grade school in Wisconsin, according to Appleton Post Crescent.
The program seeks to assist the teacher shortage around the state.
Patterson’s donation allowed for the program to extend another few years after establishment, according to the Appleton Post Crescent. The program is still running and is expected to extend until the 2027-28 school year, according to the UWSOE.
In 2018, the Pattersons also donated a $3 million gift under the Patterson Family Scholarship Legacy Match, according to the Wisconsin Alumni Association. The scholarships matched a percentage of new student-focused planned gift commitments and donated those dollars to the Office of Student Financial Aid for immediate-use scholarships, according to WAA.
This marks the second time James Patterson will give the commencement speech, as he was the speaker for the virtual 2020 graduation ceremony.
