The Savannah College of Art and Design is pleased to announce that its largest graduating class was addressed by John Malkovich on Saturday, June 3.

"Actor, director, clothing designer, storyteller. John Malkovich lives a life of distinct brilliance and intentional artistry," said SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace. "His knowledge and experience is vast, his achievements multiform. SCAD was overjoyed to welcome John as our 2017 SCAD Commencement speaker."

Malkovich's career as an artistic polymath speaks directly to the vitality of more than 100 degree programs offered at SCAD, including film and television, cinema studies, dramatic writing, fashion, fashion marketing and management, fibers, performing arts and writing. He addressed graduates at the university's Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, campuses – his first time delivering a commencement address to a university – with his advice on pursuing a successful creative career, including the following remarks:

Congratulations to the professors, instructors and administrators. I trust you have a passion and an aptitude for educating young people, and may that ever be the case. I hope you realize your importance to this class graduating today, and your importance to past and future classes. Simply put — great educators change lives.

I wonder how many of you are nervous today, unsure of your next step, fearful of what tomorrow will bring, doubtful of your talents, uncertain of your preparedness, dubious about your prospects. When I was your age, I wasn't at all sure of the path I had chosen. I had decided to join with some kids I had gone to college with, and to move to Chicago and start a theatre company. A part of me — perhaps the bigger part of me — was quite certain this effort would be doomed to fail. I suppose it's time for me to finally admit I was wrong, as over 40 years after its founding in 1976, Steppenwolf Theatre continues to flourish. For those of you receiving your degrees today, my wish for you is that you find somewhere the same sense of community, the same singularity of purpose, the same sense of working towards a common goal, and the same forum for self-expression. I can't imagine what shape my life would have taken had I not met my colleagues at university. They were — and remain — the most important influences in my working life.

To have the opportunity to live a creative life, to have even the possibility of the opportunity to live a creative life, is a gift. Yes, the gift may come at a price, but there is always a price for doing what you want in this life. But the rewards far outweigh any obstacles. So, graduates, I'll leave you with that one. You'll find your way. I did, and have more or less lived to tell the tale, and I sincerely doubt I was half as clever or talented or prepared as you are today.

In Savannah, Malkovich received an honorary doctorate of humane letters. In Atlanta, he received the SCAD Étoile in recognition of his work across a spectrum of creative disciplines including fashion, film, television, and performing arts. Étoile, which means "star in the sky" in French, connotes brilliance, luminosity and glamour. The SCAD Étoile is a tribute to the biggest and brightest stars of fashion, style and design, and recognizes trendsetting, innovative leaders for their monumental contributions to their fields.

SCAD also presented an honorary doctorate of humane letters to Michael Buzzard, a design manager at Google, in Savannah, and an honorary doctorate of humane letters to technology entrepreneur Christopher Klaus in Atlanta.

The SCAD Class of 2017 is the largest in the university's history, with more than 2,400 graduates to cross the stage in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, and Hong Kong. SCAD alumni consistently secure career success upon graduation. Most recently, 98 percent of SCAD Spring 2016 alumni responding to a survey were employed, pursuing further education or both within ten months of graduation.