DePauw Stories

Distinguished DePauw alumnus Nate Nichols ’05 will return to campus as the featured speaker for the university’s 187th Commencement ceremony. Nichols, an innovator for two decades in artificial intelligence and human interaction, will draw from his extensive experience as a researcher, developer and executive leader to inspire the Class of 2026.

“Nate Nichols wonderfully embodies the limitless potential of a DePauw liberal arts education,” said the university’s president, Lori S. White. “Throughout his career, Nate has kept himself on the cutting edge of seismic technological and cultural shifts while understanding the importance of keeping people at the center of the work. In so doing, he has shown our soon-to-be-graduates exactly what it means to be an adaptive leader in a changing world full of unforeseen challenges and opportunities. I am thrilled that we all have the privilege of hearing from him and learning from his experience.”

Nichols was a science research fellow and Rector Scholar who graduated from DePauw with a major in computer science and minors in English literature and mathematics. Following graduation, he went on to earn a PhD from Northwestern University and spent over a decade designing the core intellectual property and leading scientific innovation at the Chicago-based company Narrative Science. He now works as the vice president of product management at Tableau, a Salesforce company, and is actively involved in the AI Safety community, promoting public education of AI and its risks while working to ensure it benefits humanity. Nichols currently holds over 40 patents related to his work in language processing and machine-generated content.

“I am blown away to receive this invitation,” said Nichols. “I have been lucky to do things in my career that are interesting and that have been successful, but really I’m just 20 years ahead of everybody else who will be on that stage. We’re all on the same journey, and it’s important that they can look at me and see themselves – somebody who grew up in a small town and went to DePauw and is really excited about liberal arts education and about the people and professors I met.”

Originally from Frankfort, Ind., Nichols describes himself as “a technologist who much prefers people to technology, an AI researcher who doesn't like most AI and a computer nerd who doesn't let his kids have (almost) any screen time.” In 2024, he delivered a keynote address at the Midwest Ethics Symposium hosted by the Prindle Institute for Ethics, an extension of his ongoing commitment to champion technological advancements while also thinking deeply about their impact on society and human well-being. He plans to bring this holistic perspective to his remarks at Commencement, while also reminding the Class of 2026 of the unprecedented opportunities before them.

“There’s more freedom to claim your life than there's been before,” said Nichols, “and I think a liberal arts education – and DePauw in particular – sets people up really well to be able to do that.”

During the ceremony, Nichols will also receive a doctor of science degree, one of four individuals to receive honorary degrees from the university for exemplary work in their respective fields. DePauw professor of music Orcenith Smith will receive a doctor of arts degree, recognizing his significant contributions to the university during his five decades of service. Additionally, a doctor of journalism degree will be granted to Tim Evans, investigations editor at The Indianapolis Star, and Marisa Kwiatkowski, director of journalism at the Knight Foundation. Both were instrumental, along with 2025 honorary degree recipient Mark Alesia, in the groundbreaking reporting that shed light on the abuse scandal at USA Gymnastics. 

The 2026 Commencement ceremony at DePauw University will take place on Sunday, May 17, on the East College lawn. More information about the event is available on this web page.