LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - Comedian Will Ferrell delivered the commencement ceremony address at The University Of Southern California, complete with a mock-passionate rendition of Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You.

Ferrell was bestowed an honourary doctorate degree by the university before giving the keynote address. Among the targets of his tongue-in-cheek barbs was Donald Trump's Trump University.

The event, which took place on the university's Los Angeles campus on Friday (May 12), also featured actor Dame Helen Mirren, who received an honorary degree.

Previous recipients include director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Clint Eastwood, Robert Zemeckis, composer John Williams and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

More than 60,000 people, including graduates, their families and friends, attended the event on campus.