Men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo and men’s hockey coach Ron Mason will be this year’s undergraduate commencement speakers May 4.

Izzo and Mason will speak at 1 p.m. at Breslin Student Events Center. Both will receive an honorary doctorate of education from MSU.

Former graduation speakers include World Bank President James Wolfensohn and renowned scientist and lecturer Stephen Jay Gould.

MSU President M. Peter McPherson said choosing the two coaches was appropriate because the coaches will also serve as an inspiration to graduating students they have worked with.

“But also they are deserving of commencement because they have an enormous success,” he said.

Both Izzo and Mason reached NCAA semifinals with their respective teams this year. Izzo has been head coach for the last six years, and Mason has coached at MSU for 22 years.

“Tom and Ron are valued role models who have, I think, a very special understanding of and appreciation for the role of this university,” McPherson said in a statement.

“They have influenced lives; they have led the way in their profession as advocates for excellence in the classroom, service in the community and rules compliance in their sports.”