2008 Woodie Awards
Former governor to speak at commencement services
Allison Ullmann/Staff Writer
Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: News
|
Steve Griffith, vice president and dean for academic affairs chaired the committee to choose this year's commencement speaker.
The committee consisted of three students including senior Nicole Cleveringa, student body president; junior Kyle Liske, student body vice president; and senior Emily Salberg, senior class president, as well as four faculty/staff members including Senior Advancement Officer Chris Goodale; Professor of Management Marilyn Mueller; Chad Roberts, instructor of communications studies/student media specialist; and Allison Wolf, assistant professor of philosophy.
Griffith said the process used this year to select the commencement speaker is the same process as last year. That process was determined by President John Byrd.
"What happened this year is that we looked over the list of folks that was created last year and then went down the list and added names that we thought might be possible," Griffith said. "We talked about the loose criteria that exists for the commencement speaker and then I think that in both last year and this year, the committee gave deference to the students because the commencement speaker really in some measure is speaking to the students."
Griffith said the committee worked to find a speaker who would appeal to the students and who didn't have a political agenda.
"Both this year and last year, we hoped to find someone who really had a message for students," Griffith said. "In this particular choice, it's my understanding that the students were not crazy about having a sitting politician or someone running for office, especially this year when there are so many politicians coming through, that people are thinking we don't want people to use this opportunity for their own advantage."
Vilsack's name came up fairly quickly in the process due to the fact that he was the former governor.
"It was brought to the attention of the group that it has been the policy in the past to invite the former governor of Iowa right after he has left office," Roberts said. "It's been done with governors prior to that including Robert Ray and Terry Branstad. I think that, in the end, it was ultimately decided that we were going to extend the offer to Governor Vilsack and he accepted."
Roberts said the benefit of having former governor Vilsack speak at graduation is that Vilsack is a fairly famous name both in Iowa and on a national level and will have a message that will appeal to the graduating seniors as well.
Be the first to comment on this story