Well-received picks come after unpopular speakers last year
USC has booked big names for this spring’s commencement exercises, including a former secretary of defense and one of USC’s most loved alumni.
Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will address students graduating in the May 10 ceremony, and country star Darius Rucker, a proud USC alumnus himself, will address graduates on the morning of May 11. On the afternoon of May 11, former U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom and Winthrop University President Philip Lader will address graduates.
Dr. Richard Besser, chief health and medical editor for ABC News, will address students graduating from the USC School of Medicine, and Stephen Zack, the first Hispanic-American president of the American Bar Association, will address School of Law graduates. A speaker has not been named for the doctoral commencement and hooding ceremony.
This follows last year’s slate of relatively unknown speakers, which drew criticism from seniors and underclassmen alike.
President Harris Pastides, board of trustees Secretary Amy Stone and former Student Body President Kenny Tracy took students’ opinions into account this year. Tracy helmed a group of student leaders chosen by university administrators. The group discussed possible graduation speakers and submitted written recommendations to be reviewed by Stone and the board of trustees.
Pastides said while the response to the speakers has been much more positive this year, he has heard one complaint repeatedly.
“I’ve had a lot of students tell me, ‘I wish I could see all three,’” Pastides said. “There’s the occasional disappointment that they couldn’t be at the one they preferred, but we can’t entirely control that … Darius Rucker was only able to attend one, so it was his preference and his call which one he would come to.”
Stone said if students really want to see certain speakers at other ceremonies, they can attend the ceremony with the preferred speaker in addition to their own graduation.
“We encourage you to do so,” Stone said.
Rucker’s and Gates’ invitations were a long time in the making, according to Pastides. Gates was initially invited to the 2012 ceremonies but could not attend due to some “personal reasons,” Pastides said.
“But he told us, ‘If you re-invite me, I will commit to you,’” Pastides said.
Rucker was easily convinced to deliver a commencement address but had trouble scheduling in past years due to tour dates. The morning of May 11 was the only ceremony he was available to speak at, so he will be addressing the South Carolina Honors College and College of Arts and Sciences students instead of students from the School of Music, from which he is receiving an honorary doctorate, or the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies, from which he graduated in 1990.
Pastides stressed the long-term nature of the commencement speaker selection process, hinting that the speakers for next spring may already be close to chosen.
“The reason we don’t release names far in advance is sometimes for security,” Pastides said. “From a security standpoint, sometimes we are not allowed. In other cases, we’re requested not to give their itinerary months in advance.”
But Pastides was glad students seemed excited about their commencement speakers.
“We’ve got a lot of people saying ‘double thumbs-up,’” Pastides said.