The Weekly's
"Confirmed and Denied" today details University President Henry Bienen's response to one angry student: "By the way you think a commencement speaker has any thing to do with the national stature of Northwestern tells me we failed here in educating you." Read more
here.
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After an unusually long delay, the university announced Monday that Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley will address graduates June 20 at this year's commencement ceremony - a choice many seniors say is a disappointment for the 150th class to graduate from NU.
University President Henry Bienen called Daley, who has led Chicago for 19 years, "an eminent Chicago leader and a friend of Northwestern" in an e-mail Monday afternoon.
Bienen said Daley's relationship with Board of Trustees chairman Patrick Ryan, also the chairman of the Chicago 2016 Olympic committee, was an important factor in his selection.
"He agreed to speak I believe because he is close to Chairman Ryan, and I hope because we count each other as friends," Bienen wrote.
Daley has spoken at Chicago high school commencement ceremonies, but has not delivered a college address since at least 2000, according to a Chronicle of Higher Education database. Daley spokeswoman Kate Sansone said the mayor would probably use his speech to suggest how students can make a difference in their communities and their lives.
"The mayor has long recognized Northwestern as a hub of higher education in the Chicago region, and he was honored to be asked as the 2008 commencement speaker," Sansone wrote in an e-mail.
Commencement speakers are usually announced around the end of Winter Quarter, Vice President for University Relations Al Cubbage said. The announcement was delayed at Daley's request because the mayor's schedule is not released that far in advance.
Spring Break
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Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 336
Sajid
posted 5/27/08 @ 2:03 PM CST
Lame
cough cough
posted 5/27/08 @ 2:08 PM CST
... so lame...
BS DETECTOR
posted 5/27/08 @ 2:10 PM CST
Naturally it makes sense to choose someone who has been very supportive of the Chicago campus to speak at the EVANSTON graduation.
A good effort though, Cubbage. (Continued…)
Jennifer Simpson
posted 5/27/08 @ 2:17 PM CST
Extremely disappointed.
Matt
posted 5/27/08 @ 2:19 PM CST
Horribly botched by the university. Beyond that, the mysterious hype Bienen tried to generate appears misleading and deceitful.
The last four years included McCain and Obama, the two likely presidential candidates. (Continued…)
anon
posted 5/27/08 @ 2:26 PM CST
Are you kidding me? Commencement is the last chance for Northwestern to redeem itself after four years of shoddy undergraduate representation. Aside from academics, the administration has failed to provide us with anything of value. (Continued…)
2010
posted 5/27/08 @ 2:27 PM CST
While I feel bad for the seniors, it makes me feel better as a sophomore knowing that I won't have Dreyfus OR Daley as my commencement speaker. Lame lame lame. (Continued…)
umm
posted 5/27/08 @ 2:32 PM CST
is this a joke?
Senior
posted 5/27/08 @ 2:37 PM CST
Daley went to DePaul (not that smart), got his job through family connections (not that impressive), and kind of sucks at it (not that talented). Is this really the best NU could do? Sad. (Continued…)
Senior
posted 5/27/08 @ 2:41 PM CST
Northwestern- this is the final letdown. After four years of shitty quality of living, complete neglect by the administration, and horrible abuse by NU deans this year, this is it. (Continued…)
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