Uninspiring
College graduation day marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
It is a day filled with excitement - one that you will never forget.
Unfortunately, this year's three commencement speakers are hardly memorable.
Chuck Leavell will speak at the 1:30 p.m. ceremony, David Baker Lewis at the 5 p.m. ceremony and Robert Froelich at the 9:30 a.m. ceremony.
It would be great if these three names could stand on their own without a title (like a Joe Dumars, who spoke at graduation last year). But such is not the case.
Lewis is chairman of law firm Lewis & Munday and has sat on boards for The Kroger Company and H&R Block. Leavell has played guitar with the Rolling Stones and Train. Froelich is vice chairman of DWS Scudder.
All three are successful in their respective fields and will have a nice message. But graduation speakers are supposed to inspire.
In 20 years, you want to be able to remember who spoke at your graduation. Graduates may forget in a month.
May 2007 graduates at the University of Michigan can say they heard Bill Clinton speak. Don't think CMU is big enough to attract a big name? Eastern Michigan University got Clinton to speak at graduation while he was president.
Look at some of the other speakers around the state this year and last. Bob Woodruff of ABC News is speaking at U-M this year. Then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney spoke at Hillsdale College last year.
So bringing a recognizable name is possible.
Of course, three separate ceremonies hinder the chances of bringing big names.
A logical solution would be to move graduation to Kelly/Shorts Stadium. Sure, early May weather could be trouble.
But U-M does it at its football stadium, so why can't CMU?
Then, maybe, CMU can bring speakers who will be memorable for a lifetime.
