After two years of stellar speakers headlining graduation, USC announced a rather jaw-dropping lineup for the May 2012 commencement ceremonies.
It was jaw-dropping, however, for the sheer shock that officials could only muster three current USC professors, the under secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and a J.P. Morgan regional chairman as speakers. For the “premier University of South Carolina,” we can only describe the lineup as simply abysmal.
We’re sure each of the announced speakers stands on his or her own merits in his or her respective fields as leaders with great accomplishments, but none of them stand on level footing with other recent speakers, such as Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and renowned journalist Tom Brokaw.
To say we’re confident the graduating class of 2012 feels shortchanged would be a colossal understatement. Students shouldn’t have to “research” the speakers in order to appreciate their speeches. We will not withhold judgment for the speeches, as we can wholeheartedly say graduating seniors have every right to feel angry and betrayed by USC officials.
The university has never been shy about asking Darla Moore for more funding, support and clout, so we’re a bit perplexed as to why Amy Stone didn’t simply call Darla to see if any of her friends were willing to speak at graduation. The business school has attracted names such as Walter Isaacson to speak on Wednesday evenings in the Capstone Ballroom, yet the university could only scrape together the lineup announced Tuesday evening.
We’re sobered and saddened that 10 years down the road, the class of 2012 might not remember its speakers’ names, while others will recall hearing a Supreme Court justice and a world-renowned journalist.
We’d rather substitute Steve Spurrier, Ray Tanner, Dawn Staley and Frank Martin — at least the travel costs would be the same.