Count Basie Theatre press conference Nov 2016

Steven Van Zandt, one of the stars of HBO's "The Sopranos" and a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, will speak at Rutgers University's commencement. (Rob Spahr | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

NEWARK -- Steven Van Zandt, a long-time member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and one of the stars of "The Sopranos," will deliver the keynote address at Rutgers University's commencement ceremony this spring.

Van Zandt, who grew up in New Jersey, was approved by the university Board of Governors during its meeting Wednesday at Rutgers-Newark. He's the latest in a series of high-profile graduation speakers at Rutgers, including President Barack Obama in 2016.

Rutgers locked in Van Zandt last spring after he was the number one choice of a committee of students and faculty that recommended a commencement speaker, university President Robert Barchi said. The committee accepted nominations from the study body before making a selection, according to Rutgers.

"He was the students' choice, as well as the committee's choice, so I expect that this will be looked on very positively by the students," Barchi said.

Rutgers will pay Van Zandt a $35,000 speaking fee, spokeswoman Karen Smith said. The fee will not be paid from Rutgers' state funding, she said.

Van Zandt sparked some controversy recently when he criticized the cast of the hit Broadway show "Hamilton" for calling out then-Vice President-elect Mike Pence from the stage during a performance following the November election.

Actor Brandon Victor Dixon, during the curtain call, spoke out to Pence as he left the theater, saying "We hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values, and work on behalf of ALL of us."

Van Zandt later tweeted that "everyone who is sane disagrees with [Pence's] policies," but said a Broadway stage was not to place to make that statement.

"Audiences shouldn't have to worry about being blindsided like that. Theater should be sanctuary for Art to speak," wrote Van Zandt, while reiterating he remained staunchly against Donald Trump and Pence's policies.

Van Zandt, a 1968 graduate of Middletown High School in Monmouth County, began performing with Springsteen in the 1970s and co-produced the albums "The River" and "Born in the U.S.A."

He left the E Street band in the early 1980s but rejoined in 1999 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of the group.

Also in 1999, Van Zandt began playing the role of Silvio Dante, the consigliere to Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano in HBO's "The Sopranos."

Along with his accolades in music and television, Van Zandt was picked for his activism and community fundraising, Rutgers officials said.

In 1985, he established Artists United Against Apartheid and worked with other musicians, including Bob Dylan, Run-D.M.C., Miles Davis, and Springsteen, to record the album "Sun City," which protested South Africa's policy of racial segregation.

Locally, Van Zandt has raised money to support the renovation and expansion of Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank.

In addition to speaking, Van Zandt will receive a Doctor of Fine Arts at the May 14 ceremony at High Point Solutions Stadium.

The university also announced Wednesday that Carla Hayden, the first woman and the first African American to serve as the U.S. Librarian of Congress, will speak at Rutgers-Camden's commencement ceremony. Rutgers-Newark previously selected Eboo Patel, chief executive officer of the Interfaith Youth Core, to deliver the keynote address at its ceremony.

LGBTQ and HIV health care advocate Harvey Makadon will receive an honorary Doctor of Science at the ceremony for the New Brunswick campus. Makadon is the director of the National LGBT Health Education Center and the National Center for Innovation in HIV Care

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.