Two years ago, we used this space to criticize USC’s lackluster lineup of commencement speakers.
That editorial was one of many critical voices; hundreds, if not thousands, of graduating seniors were upset. Their speakers were the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a regional chairman at J.P. Morgan Chase and the chairwoman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Talk about a turnaround.
USC created a committee that included students to suggest and vet graduation speakers. The results were felt quickly: Tom Brokaw spoke at the December 2012 commencement, and the next May, the university landed country singer Darius Rucker and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, both men of considerable achievement.
But this year, USC scored — big time. Vice President Joe Biden and Boeing chief executive James McNerney will be headlining USC’s commencement ceremonies next month.
Moreover, Gen. Charles F. Bolden Jr., the administrator of NASA and a former astronaut and Marine, will also be giving a commencement address.
Who better to praise the value of academics, education and the vitality within every young graduate than the vice president of the United States of America, a business executive that’s currently in charge of one of the world’s aerospace leaders and a general who runs the country’s space research and exploration program.
And if their job titles aren’t exciting enough, their areas of expertise are a treasure trove of inspiring analogies. Space? Flight? Rocketry? America?
It sounds like a Hollywood production, except it’s not: It’s a USC production, and we couldn’t be prouder.