Commencement Season Pageantry Raises Questions | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Harry Painter, who is a writer for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

    RALEIGH     Commencement season often is a controversial time. Last year was conspicuous for its wave of politically motivated disinvitations, with students trying, sometimes with success, to get their universities to rescind invitations to commencement speakers such as anti-Islamist writer and activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

    This year started out with a more pragmatic controversy. In April, the University of Houston reluctantly admitted it is paying actor Matthew McConaughey $135,000 to speak at the May 15 commencement ceremony, which he says will be donated to his foundation, Just Keep Livin', which places fitness and wellness programs at public schools throughout the nation.

    This raises important questions: At what point does the graduation ritual become too extravagant? Could college funds be put to better use than attracting celebrity speakers to say a few inspiring words to the graduating class? After all, most commencement speakers are paid nothing.

    The conventional knowledge is that colleges have powerful incentives to invite bigger and better speakers. Supposedly the invitations help market the campuses to potential students, faculty members, and even the media by building buzz around a college's brand. Also, they may have the potential to attract donations.

    But picking the wrong speaker could cost donations as well, and it's not always easy to tell which speakers those will be. The marketing argument is plausible for small private schools, but even then, marketing does not excuse interfering with the academic mission of a college. At subsidized public colleges, the idea that it is necessary to spend six figures on a big name for marketing purposes is absurd. Public colleges are there to fill a state's need, not to increase it.

    Bills in New Jersey and Illinois have proposed banning public universities from using public funds to pay for commencement speakers. That would solve the problem of wasting tax dollars on speakers, a practice that becomes more contentious when taxpayers and students are expected to welcome controversial speakers to campuses.

    One highly controversial pick for commencement speaker this year was Common, a rapper and actor, who received two very different receptions by two different schools. First, his scheduled appearance was canceled unceremoniously in March by the administration of Kean University in New Jersey, just hours after the announcement. The reason was that a police union complained that one of his songs takes the side of Joanne Chesimard, a former Black Panther who was convicted of killing a New Jersey State Trooper.

    But Common did not miss out on graduation season altogether; he was still the keynote speaker at Winston-Salem State University, a historically black university. In that university's case, picking a commencement speaker is a democratic process. London Mickle, president of the staff senate at Winston-Salem State, told the Pope Center that a commencement committee chooses the speaker. The committee, made up of representatives from different units around campus - such as the chair of the faculty senate, the senior class president, the campus police, and employees and volunteers from the registrar's office and academic affairs - chooses the the commencement speaker from a list of requests submitted by students, Mickle said.

    Then the committee finds out who from the list is available. The next step? "See [who] we can afford," she said.

    Elsewhere in North Carolina (as in the rest of the country), there was a diverse group of commencement speakers, ranging from politicians and celebrities to academics and artists. High Point University has sought a higher profile in recent years, and that shows in its recent choices. This year was no exception; High Point picked former "NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Brokaw. Also hosting a high-profile celebrity was Wake Forest University, with new "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert.

    There was a sizable, albeit relatively uncontroversial, list of political figures speaking in the state. Speakers include Gov. Pat McCrory and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The former spoke at Elizabeth City State University and Forsyth Technical Community College, and the latter addressed graduates at N.C. Central University. Also, Attorney General Roy Cooper, who is seeking the 2016 Democratic nomination for governor, delivered Elon University School of Law's address. Shaw University hosted U.S. Rep. G. K. Butterfield, the First District Democrat who also is the new chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

    Another popular category of commencement speaker includes entrepreneurs and business leaders. The most high-profile of these in North Carolina was former Hulu CEO Jason Kilar, who gave the address at his alma mater UNC-Chapel Hill. Warren Wilson College, the Asheville-based liberal arts college, hosted New Belgium Brewing Company CEO Kim Jordan.

    From the arts community, UNC-Pembroke picked Wes Moore, author of The Other Wes Moore. Queens University of Charlotte chose Marshall Curry, a documentary filmmaker.
Go Back


Leave a Guest Comment

Your Name or Alias
Your Email Address ( your email address will not be published)
Enter Your Comment ( no code or urls allowed, text only please )



Comment

( May 28th, 2015 @ 3:46 pm )
 
I tell you what --- since NC is so famous for basketball, why did they not ask the most outstanding basketball player to be the speaker in exchange for the scholarship he got?

Do we produce athletes and winning teams OR "educated enough to think" grads in NC?

I grew up in GA and graduated Emory where, in 1967 the new conductor of the Atlanta Symphony was the speaker. Desmond Tutu was on faculty and the speaker in recent years. Former President Jimmy Carter did as well. Emory opted out of intercollegiate sports except soccer and tennis and swimming years ago, my friends.

Check them out here, if you like: www.emory.edu



Tillis Visits UNC Medical To Discuss New Initiative To Fight HIV/AIDS Carolina Journal, Editorials, Op-Ed & Politics Tax Cuts Will Boost State’s Business Rankings


HbAD0

Latest Op-Ed & Politics

far left sugar daddy has also funded anti-Israel groups and politicians in US
Be careful what you wish for, you may get it
America needs to wake up and get its priorities right
Former President Donald Trump suggested this week that if he becomes president again, he might allow Prince Harry to be deported.
It's a New Year, which means it's time to make resolutions — even for prominent evangelical leaders. The Babylon Bee asked the following well-known figures in the faith what they hope to accomplish in 2024:
Vice President Kamala Harris will visit a Minnesota Planned Parenthood clinic, reportedly the first time a president or vice president has visited an abortion facility.

HbAD1

An eight-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville has been temporarily closed due to a string of “human and bear interactions,” the National Parks Service announced.
University of Wisconsin tried to punish conservatives for the fact that liberals regularly commit crimes to silence opposition
most voters think EU officials not doing a good job on illegal immigration
Come from behind by GOP candidate is a blueprint to 2024
Biden spending and energy policies to blame

HbAD2

Tuberculosis carried by illegal invaders has already infected Texas cattle

HbAD3

 
Back to Top