Editorial: Improvements seen in commencement speaker selection
Editorial Board
Issue date: 5/30/08 Section: Ed-Op
Graduation speakers have always been a hot topic at Drexel. In past years, the typical Drexel commencement speakers have been people who have had nice careers, but were, for the most part, relatively unknown. If their backgrounds were somewhat related to the degree the graduates were receiving, the students considered themselves lucky.
This year, as Drexel gains more prestige, an improvement has been made in the selection of commencement speakers. Business graduates will get to hear words of wisdom from the 46th richest man in the world. Graduates of the College of Nursing and Health Professions and School of Public Health get to hear from the Acting U.S. Surgeon General. Seniors graduating from the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design and the College of Arts and Sciences will hear from a bestselling author. Engineering students will hear from Mayor Michael Nutter, who doesn't have an engineering background, but at least is a prominent local figure.
However, for students graduating from the Goodwin College of Professional Studies, who are lumped in with CoNHP's and SPH's ceremony, and graduates of the College of Information Sciences and Technology, who are thrown in with WCoMAD and CoAS, their commencement speaker's background will have very little in common with the students they address.
The other aspect of graduation that diminishes the experience is its location. One of the major things Drexel can address to improve commencement is the lack of space at the venue. The conversion of the Armory may provide the ultimate solution, but until then, the Daskalakis Athletic Center is just too tiny a venue for the event.
We recommend holding commencement in one of Philadelphia's spectacular venues, such as the Kimmel Center or the National Constitution Center in the meantime. If given the choice between an on-campus graduation at the DAC, or an off-campus one in a more inspiring and accommodating space, we know which one students would select.
The lineup of Drexel's commencement speakers this year is a step in the right direction. It is an indicator of Drexel's growing reputation - it's an improvement over past years, but there is still room for improvement. Undergraduates spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and four, five or even six years here, the very least they deserve is an amazing commencement.
This year, as Drexel gains more prestige, an improvement has been made in the selection of commencement speakers. Business graduates will get to hear words of wisdom from the 46th richest man in the world. Graduates of the College of Nursing and Health Professions and School of Public Health get to hear from the Acting U.S. Surgeon General. Seniors graduating from the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design and the College of Arts and Sciences will hear from a bestselling author. Engineering students will hear from Mayor Michael Nutter, who doesn't have an engineering background, but at least is a prominent local figure.
However, for students graduating from the Goodwin College of Professional Studies, who are lumped in with CoNHP's and SPH's ceremony, and graduates of the College of Information Sciences and Technology, who are thrown in with WCoMAD and CoAS, their commencement speaker's background will have very little in common with the students they address.
The other aspect of graduation that diminishes the experience is its location. One of the major things Drexel can address to improve commencement is the lack of space at the venue. The conversion of the Armory may provide the ultimate solution, but until then, the Daskalakis Athletic Center is just too tiny a venue for the event.
We recommend holding commencement in one of Philadelphia's spectacular venues, such as the Kimmel Center or the National Constitution Center in the meantime. If given the choice between an on-campus graduation at the DAC, or an off-campus one in a more inspiring and accommodating space, we know which one students would select.
The lineup of Drexel's commencement speakers this year is a step in the right direction. It is an indicator of Drexel's growing reputation - it's an improvement over past years, but there is still room for improvement. Undergraduates spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and four, five or even six years here, the very least they deserve is an amazing commencement.
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