Seven-time Tour de France champion and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong will deliver the commencement address to this year's graduating class.
Four other distinguished individuals will also receive honorary degrees from the University.
Armstrong will speak at the University's 150th graduation ceremony on May 21. Commencement speakers are not given monetary compensation.
According to the University's Associate Director of Public Relations, Kimberly Thurler, Tufts looks for distinguished individuals who are not only accomplished, but also willing to share their stories.
"We are always thinking about possible speakers, and friends of the University usually help us reach out to potential speakers. That was the case with Lance," Thurler said.
Armstrong retired from professional racing this past summer after setting a world record in winning his seventh consecutive Tour de France.
The only other rider to approach seven straight victories was Spaniard Miguel Indurain, who won five consecutive Tours from 1991-1995.
Armstrong had already won a cycling World Road Championship in 1993 before developing testicular cancer in 1996. The disease metastasized to his lungs and brain, and Armstrong was given a 50 percent chance of survival.
He underwent surgery and chemotherapy at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
When he returned to cycling after the cancer went into remission, Armstrong signed with the Postal Service team, and won his first Tour de France in 1999.
His battle with cancer also led to the establishment of the Lance Armstrong Foundation in 1997. According to the organization's Web site, its mission "is to inspire and empower people with cancer to live strong." The group carries out its work "through education, advocacy, public health and research programs."
University President Lawrence Bacow cited the "powerful message" Armstrong will bring to campus in a general press release.
"His perseverance on the bike and in life sets an extraordinary example for all who seek to overcome obstacles and achieve their highest goals. We are honored to host him at Tufts," Bacow said.
Mark Abramson (E '97) is vice president of the USA Cycling Board of Directors.
"Lance Armstrong is an exceptional candidate to send the graduating class of 2006 off into the world," Abramson said. "Any one of [his] accomplishments would make Mr. Armstrong one of the best commencement speakers possible. The fact that he has achieved them all is beyond compare. It will be such an honor to welcome him to the Tufts campus."
In addition to presenting Armstrong with an honorary doctorate of humane letters, Tufts will present honorary doctorates to Tufts alumni William Cummings (LA '58), a philanthropist after whose foundation Tufts' Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine is named, and Joseph Hoar (LA '56), a retired general.
Lynn Margulis, an evolutionary biologist, and Reverend Gloria White-Hammond, a pediatrician and pastor, will also receive honorary degrees.
During his 37-year career, Hoar enforced a no-fly zone in southern Iraq, as well as oversaw humanitarian operations in Kenya and in Iraq. White-Hammond currently leads the Million Voices for Darfur campaign.
