Although the University of Wisconsin Spring 2010 commencement speaker may not be as esteemed as President Barack Obama, who will be speaking for the University of Michigan, UW speakers are chosen with student dollars in mind.
The University of Michigan announced Feb. 11 Obama will be the keynote speaker at its graduation ceremony May 1, where 3,500 undergraduate degrees will be awarded.
Obama will be the fourth sitting president who will have spoken at a University of Michigan graduation ceremony, according to a statement from the university.
Former President Bill Clinton spoke at the University of Michigan’s 2007 spring commencement.
His first State of the Union speech at the end of his first year in office, which focused on economic and job growth, compliments Michigan’s efforts to rebuild its economy, according to the statement.
The UW spring 2010 commencement speaker has not yet been announced, however, Kurt Gosselin, a senior class officer and Associated Students of Madison secretary, said there could be a development in choosing the speaker as soon as today.
UW has invited presidents to speak in the past, but none have acquiesced, and their acceptance is very dependent upon their schedules, said UW Secretary of Faculty David Musolf, who helps coordinate commencement.
“Certainly [UW] has not had the president of the United States. We assume he gets hundreds if not more invitations, and it really is a decision by the White House where they feel it’s most appropriate to speak,” Musolf said.
He added an important thing to consider when looking at commencement speakers is UW pays travel expenses for its speakers, but does not pay its speakers honorarium for their speech.
Musolf said though a sitting president like Obama would not request a fee to speak, a high profile speaker such as Clinton would ask for a very high honorarium.
In spring, UW has four separate ceremonies on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of commencement. Musolf said in years past, they have needed more than one speaker because one speaker cannot attend every ceremony.
It has not yet been determined if there will be two speakers this year for UW.
Musolf works in conjunction with the senior class officers to compile a list of potential speakers who have historically had UW ties.
The list of speakers is discussed with Chancellor Biddy Martin, and when the final decisions for speakers are made, Musolf personally contacts the speakers to invite them to speak and answers any questions they may have.
Although some speakers have declined their invitation, most of the time they are eager to accept the opportunity, Musolf said.
There are years when students want to invite TV personalities and celebrities; however, Musolf said, not only does UW not have the money to pay for what would be an anticipated heavy fee, but also not paying an honorarium ensures speakers come to UW commencement because of their strong ties to the university.
