Which university received J.K. Rowling’s 2008 commencement address?

J.K. Rowling delivered her 2008 commencement address at Harvard University.

Harvard invited Rowling to speak at its 357th Commencement on 5 June 2008. Her address, titled “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination,” discussed two themes drawn from her own experiences: learning through failure and using imagination to understand other people’s lives.

The speech became widely known beyond the ceremony and was later published as a small book. It is often cited separately from Rowling’s fiction because it presents a personal account of the period before Harry Potter’s success, including financial difficulty and professional uncertainty.

Rowling also received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Harvard during the event. The address is sometimes confused with university talks or honorary degrees associated with other institutions, but Harvard was the university whose commencement ceremony she addressed in 2008.