In 2010, prestigious commencement speakers spoke all over the country at college graduations. Nancy Pelosi (Mills College, Cornell University), Barack Obama (University of Michigan), Michelle Obama (George Washington University), Katie Couric (Case Western Reserve University), Michelle Kwan (Southern Vermont University), Bill Nye (Quinnipiac University) were amongst the prominent people that offered words of wisdom to various classes of 2010.
With the class of 2011’s graduation in the not-too-far-off future, the topic of commencement speakers is once again a hot topic.
Toni Morrison will be speaking at Rutger’s University on May 15 — earning her not only a honorary degree (or in her case a doctorate), which has become the norm for commencement speakers, but a hefty check for $30,000. After word got out about Morrison’s expensive fee, Rutgers admitted this is the first time they’ve ever paid a commencement speaker. Often times commencement speakers will donate their time, perhaps because they are an alumnus of the school or just out of the kindness of their heart, only requesting travel/lodging expenses.
But now, just like everything else that has to do with colleges — it has gotten competitive. Schools are now quietly paying their graduation speakers in order to secure the best of the best for their students and their families who shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars for their degree.
While the money for this sort of thing can come from a multitude of places (Rutger’s explained Morrison’s fee came out of a vending contract with PepsiCo) — it is still money that could be used for educational purposes. When money that could be used for education goes to “extras” like this, controversy is bound to ensue.
For the record, the Bluest Eye author has no known ties to Rutgers. She attended Howard University and then got her masters at Cornell University.
Would you want your school to spend that much money on a very prestigious person? What if they had no ties to your school? What if they were an alum? Weigh in below with your opinion on the price of a commencement speaker.