Luke Skywalker
Super Moderator
{vb:raw ozzmodz_postquote}:
Sandra Bullock was the surprise commencement speaker at Warren Easton Charter High School's graduation in New Orleans on May 19. She has supported the school since shortly after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Her advice? "Stop worrying so much. Stop being scared of the unknown, because anything I worried about didn't happen," Bullock told the graduates. Also: "Do not pick your nose in public."
" border="0" height="360" id="articleGalleryPhoto002" width="640"/>The president of the United States is to deliver the commencement address at University of California-Irvine on June 14. Here, he delivers the commencement speech at Morehouse College in 2013.
" border="0" height="360" id="articleGalleryPhoto003" width="640"/>The vice president of the United States gives the commencement addresses at Miami-Dade College on May 3. He later spoke at the University of South Carolina on May 9 and will deliver the commencement address at the University of Delaware, his alma mater, on May 31.
speak to seniors in Topeka, Kansas, just before their graduation and the District of Columbia College Access Program in Washington this year." border="0" height="360" id="articleGalleryPhoto004" width="640"/>The first lady delivers the commencement address at Dillard University in New Orleans on May 10. She'll also speak to seniors in Topeka, Kansas, just before their graduation and the District of Columbia College Access Program in Washington this year.
Gen. Colin Powell, the former secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivers the commencement speech at High Point University in North Carolina on May 3.
The General Motors CEO delivers the commencement address at the University of Michigan on May 3. Barra, the first woman to lead a major automaker, urged students to rethink old assumptions and correct injustices.
The entrepreneur and entertainment mogul delivers the commencement speech at Howard University on May 10.
U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia delivered the commencement address at the William & Mary Law School graduation ceremony on May 11. Here, he conducts a naturalization ceremony in 2013.
a commencement speech at Rollins College after winning the Outstanding Graduating Senior Award from the Hamilton Holt School. "Education has been the only consistent part of my life the last nine years," she told her fellow grads. "And it has offered me comfort. Education is one thing that no one can take away from you."
" border="0" height="360" id="articleGalleryPhoto009" width="640"/>Elin Nordegren, the ex-wife of Tiger Woods, gave a commencement speech at Rollins College after winning the Outstanding Graduating Senior Award from the Hamilton Holt School. "Education has been the only consistent part of my life the last nine years," she told her fellow grads. "And it has offered me comfort. Education is one thing that no one can take away from you."
The "Science Guy" delivered a commencement address at University of Massachusetts Lowell on May 17.
The Grammy-winning singer and songwriter delivered the commencement address at the University of Pennsylvania on May 19. Legend graduated from Penn in 1999. Here, he receives an honorary doctorate of music during the commencement ceremony.
The U.S. Navy admiral delivered the keynote address at the University of Texas at Austin's commencement on May 17. McCraven is the ninth commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command; he planned and directed the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden.
The screenwriter and director of Disney's "Frozen" spoke at University of New Hampshire's commencement on May 17. Lee is a 1992 graduate of the school.
Abramson's first public appearance since her dismissal from The New York Times." border="0" height="360" id="articleGalleryPhoto0014" width="640"/>Jill Abramson, former executive editor of The New York Times, received an honorary doctorate during the commencement ceremony at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on May 19. It was Abramson's first public appearance since her dismissal from The New York Times.
" border="0" height="360" id="articleGalleryPhoto0015" width="640"/>The Denver Broncos quarterback spoke to graduates of the University of Virginia on May 17, even tossing a football to a few students.
The secretary of state delivered Yale University's Class Day address on May 18. Kerry is a 1966 graduate of Yale.
Howard Koh, assistant secretary for health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, left, addressed graduates during a commencement ceremony at University of Massachusetts Lowell on May 17. He posed here with Marty Meehan, chancellor of the university.
The former secretary of homeland security, now president of the University of California, delivered the commencement address at Northeastern University in Boston on May 2. Here, she gives a farewell address at the National Press Club in Washington in 2013.
The host of "Fareed Zakaria GPS" on CNN will deliver the commencement address at Sarah Lawrence College on May 23. Here, he attends the annual meeting of the Harvard University Alumni Association during commencement in 2012.
The former president of the United States will deliver the commencement address at New York University-Abu Dhabi on May 25. Here, Clinton delivers a commencement address at West Virginia University in 2010.
The creator of "Scandal" and "Grey's Anatomy" will speak at Dartmouth College's commencement on June 8. Rhimes is a 1991 graduate of the college. Here, Rhimes attends the New Yorker Festival in 2013.
The businessman and former mayor of New York City will speak at Harvard University's commencement on May 29 and at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, on June 8. Here, Bloomberg speaks at the Real Estate Board of New York in 2013.
The founders and co-chairs of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will give the commencement address at Stanford University on June 15. Here, the wife and husband are seen at an awards ceremony in 2013.
The U.S. secretary of labor will speak at Oberlin College's commencement on May 26. Here, he speaks during a bus tour stop in Washington in April.
The actor from "The Office" and "The Hangover" will speak at Cornell University's senior class convocation on May 24. Here, Helms speaks at the Fulfillment Fund's Annual Star Gala in Beverly Hills, California, in 2013.
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki will speak at Johns Hopkins University's commencement on May 22. Here, she speaks at a 2011 conference in New York.
The former vice president will give the commencement address at Princeton University on June 2. Here he attends a We Day event at London's Wembley Arena in March.
The Federal Reserve chairwoman will deliver the commencement speech at New York University on May 21. Here, Yellen speaks at the Economic Club of New York in April.
The former chief executive of Microsoft will speak at the University of Washington's commencement on June 14. He's shown here at the opening of the Microsoft Center Berlin in 2013.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
- Controversy led three speakers to drop out of commencement talks this year
- Julian Zelizer: It would be a shame if colleges only invited those who give bland, inoffensive speeches
- Commencement speeches can be an opportunity to introduce bold ideas, he says
- President Lyndon Johnson made a stirring case in 1964 for his vision of a "Great Society"
Editor's note: Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of "Jimmy Carter" and "Governing America." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) -- In this year's season of commencement speeches, these academic rites of passage have become the subject of fierce political controversy.
Just over the past few months, several prominent invited speakers, including Condoleezza Rice, Christine Lagarde, and Robert Birgeneau have withdrawn following a campus backlash to news they would be coming to Rutgers, Smith, and Haverford, respectively. This trend is not entirely new, since college students have been protesting proposed speakers for many decades.
But there is some indication that in the age of social networking and the Internet, where news spreads around campus and across state lines quickly, the controversies will continue to intensify.
Regardless of what one thinks of the politics of any of the speakers at the center of this year's debates, these and other incidents could have the unfortunate impact of producing future invitations only to those who will not be controversial or say anything bold.
Rather than big ideas or stimulating thought as a result of commencement exercises, we could head down a road where parents and students congregate to hear a few jokes and milquetoast comments before heading home with their degrees.
This would be a loss. In fact, sometimes commencement speeches have been the venue to introduce bold ideas to the American public.
1964: The war on poverty
LBJ sworn in on Air Force One
Caro on civil rights act
Obama: Cynicism often passes for wisdom
Fifty years ago, toward the end of May 1964, President Lyndon Johnson -- just six months after becoming president following the assassination of JFK -- stepped up to the podium at the University of Michigan. On a bright sunny day, Johnson spoke to about 85,000 people who were packed into Michigan stadium, celebrating the class of '64, to introduce them to the idea of a Great Society, an idea that would guide a transformation in public policy that lives on today.
The speech had been a long time in the making. For months Johnson had been struggling to come up with a concept that would describe his legislative agenda. Richard Goodwin, who had worked as a special counsel to the House Legislative Oversight Committee that had investigated the quiz show scandal in 1959 and who had worked as a speechwriter for President Kennedy, was given the task of solving Johnson's problem.
Goodwin had kept a close eye on the growing ferment on the college campuses in the early 1960s, including the establishment of the left-wing Students for a Democratic Society which was committed to achieving civil rights and participatory democracy. Goodwin met with the best experts he knew to come up with a phrase that summed up Johnson's program.
Princeton historian Eric Goldman, whom Johnson had recruited as an adviser, said that Johnson should focus public attention on issues other than economic growth. He mentioned the title of a book by the journalist Walter Lippmann, called "The Good Society." Goodwin shared the concept with adviser Bill Moyers who then used it in a number of smaller speeches for LBJ leading up to the graduation.
On May 22, 1964, Johnson delivered his 20 minute commencement address, which was only finished the night before, to the exuberant students at Michigan. The speech was a smash hit. The students interrupted Johnson several times to applaud.
Johnson told the students that the nation had the possibility of reaching beyond merely being a "rich" and "powerful" society to becoming a "Great Society" that delivered something more.
He said: "The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are totally committed in our time. But that is just the beginning. The Great Society is a place where every child can find knowledge to enrich his mind and to enlarge his talents. ... It is a place where the city of man serves not only the needs of the body and the demands of commerce, but the desire for beauty and the hunger of community."
"Will you join in the battle to give every citizen the full equality which God enjoins and the law requires, whatever his belief, or race, or the color of his skin? Will you join the battle," Johnson asked, "to give every citizen an escape from the crushing weight of poverty?"
The Great Society is a place where every child can find knowledge to enrich his mind and to enlarge his talents . . .
President Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard Goodwin, who watched the speech from the White House, felt as "if I were hearing the words for the first time, experiencing the exhilarating revelation of suddenly widening horizons. ... I clapped for the president, and for our country." Johnson was exhilarated by the response. On Air Force One, he walked to the back of the plane to recap the key points with reporters so that they did not miss them for their stories.
The speech provided powerful motivation to legislators and activists who struggled over the next few years to pass legislation that enhanced the power of the federal government to provide support for education, medical care, voting rights, environmental programs, housing support and more.
Today, liberals can certainly look back at the speech for inspiration, finding a powerful set of arguments to use to justify government intervention through programs such as the minimum wage, health care, and green jobs.
Johnson's vision in the speech was that the government could help make the quality of life better for all Americans and provide the tools that every citizen needed to become self-sufficient and independent actors. Some of the programs didn't turn out as well as he hoped. But others, such as Medicare for the aged and voting rights for African-Americans, proved to be stunning successes.
The ideas that Johnson proposed were certainly controversial. At the time a powerful bloc of Southern conservative Democrats and Republicans controlled Congress and had little appetite for growing government. Republicans were about to nominate Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater as their nominee for the 1964 election, indicating that the right-wing was a growing presence in national politics. For every organization like the Students for Democratic Action there was another, like the conservative Young Americans for Freedom that saw the future through a much different lens.
Commencement talks can be more than about celebrity, funny quips, and attention-gaining opportunities for colleges. They can be moments that truly inspire and change the national conversation. A little over 50 years ago, Lyndon Johnson was able to accomplish that in Ann Arbor.
Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.
Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion.
