By Kelly Heyboer/ The Star-Ledger
UNION TOWNSHIP — Kean University is spending $40,000 to bring in former “Saturday Night Live” star Darrell Hammond and “Daily Show” correspondent Samantha Bee to speak at its commencement ceremonies this week.
Hammond will be paid $25,000 to deliver the commencement address before 2,900 undergraduates Thursday at the Prudential Center in Newark, said Marsha McCarthy, a Kean spokeswoman. Bee is due to receive $15,000 for speaking this morning before 700 students at the graduate college ceremony at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel.
Kean, a public university in Union Township, is one of the few colleges and universities in New Jersey that pays to bring in celebrity speakers to appear at its commencement ceremonies. In previous years, Kean paid musician John Legend $25,000 to deliver a 15-minute speech and perform two songs at its 2011 commencement. In 2006, Kean paid filmmaker Spike Lee $25,000 for a 10-minute graduation address.
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