Big Names On Campus

Often, speakers discount their fees, or forgo them altogether. Bill Clinton, who can command more than $150,000 for speaking engagements, isn't taking money for commencement remarks. Stephen R. Covey, author of "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," is speaking at Southern Utah University, reportedly for a small fraction of his usual fee of $50,000 to $75,000.

"There are some things, like a commencement address or a major fundraiser, where I would expect a speaker wouldn't ask for a fee," said Media Relations Director Tracy Schario at George Washington University, which gets two speakers for the price of none: Former president George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, aren't being paid. The couple will give a "co-speech" at GW's ceremonies May 21 on the Mall.

In Boston that same day, Bush 41's onetime Democratic opponent, Michael Dukakis, and his wife, Kitty, will speak at Lesley University. Kitty's a Lesley alum who taught dance there years ago. The school's president, Margaret McKenna, former deputy counsel to President Jimmy Carter, said she invited the Dukakises after seeing them at a Lesley reunion a couple of years ago and finding both on the board's list of nominations for honorary degrees. "I thought, this makes a lot of sense -- let's have them together," she said.

Oh, and another couple: Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush will team up once again to speak today at Tulane University in New Orleans.

In sheer numbers, it's a good year for nationally recognized journalists -- more than a dozen of them speaking somewhere. Tom Brokaw is speaking at Stanford (one of his daughters is an alumna), at the invitation of Stanford President John Hennessy, based on the recommendations of four senior-class presidents who culled suggestions from seniors.

At Marymount University in Arlington, where former secretary of state Colin L. Powell will give the address, speakers are nominated by students and faculty, "but the final decisions are made by the administration," said Shelley Dutton, Marymount's vice president for communications. This year, Marymount made the process easier by putting a nomination form online.

In recent years some top colleges have prided themselves on getting headliner comedians. Harvard commencements have featured Will Ferrell, Al Franken and Conan O'Brien, and Princeton got Chevy Chase, Jon Stewart and Jerry Seinfeld. The comedy coup of this spring belongs to Knox College in Illinois, which lured Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert. He was nominated by students, invited by Knox President Roger Taylor -- and additionally invited by Knox alum and former Clinton chief of staff John Podesta.

Not all choices are greeted so enthusiastically. The Daily Californian student newspaper reports that seniors at Cal Berkeley are listless over the choice of State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. Some Penn seniors are "underwhelmed" by Jodie Foster, the school newspaper reports, and are carping that she wasn't on the students' list of contenders. "No matter whoever is chosen, there is always a discontented group," Kruhly said. "There has never been anyone who has satisfied everyone."

At Florida's Nova Southeastern University, novelist Salman Rushdie's speech Sunday caused a commotion. Islamic students boycotted the ceremonies and protested because of Rushdie's novel "The Satanic Verses," whose publication in 1988 led Iran to issue a death edict against him.

"It's an unusual year," said Don Rosenblum, dean of Nova Southeastern's undergraduate school. "There has been a lot of significant response to speakers -- this person is too liberal, this person is too conservative, this person doesn't deserve an honorary degree. But Mr. Rushdie represents all of the critical values and goals for a commencement speaker."

Sometimes events overtake those who plan them. Tiffin University's media director, Lisa Williams, got the news May 5 that Porter Goss -- scheduled to give the commencement speech at the Ohio school the next day -- had resigned as director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Goss kept his date with the school, which boasts a national security studies program. "Admit nothing, deny everything and make counteraccusations," was what Goss said he'd advise grads if they were about to become CIA case officers, the Associated Press reported.

And sometimes you just can't win. The University of Hartford planned for Charlie Rose to speak at its commencement -- until the PBS talk-show host underwent heart valve surgery in March. So Hartford will go with renowned structural engineer Charles Thornton and Connecticut State Treasurer Denise Nappier.

But Hartford isn't letting Rose totally off the hook. "We hope," said the university's statement announcing the cancellation, "that he will be able to attend a commencement ceremony in December 2006 or May 2007."