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UO’s graduation speaker has an interesting background

Jack Bog reports, here. In the comments here ideas on what UO should and shouldn’t do for commencement ceremonies are welcome. Me, I like the small department ceremonies. 6/13/2012.

7 Comments

  1. Zach 06/13/2012

    Jeff’s a great guy, and he’s done some truly wonderful things for the state and for young Oregonians.

    He is a U of O grad himself, he founded a successful get-out-the-vote nonprofit aimed at college-age kids that is being replicated nationwide, and he’s quickly rising to political prominence. He’s also interesting. He’s a great speaker choice, at least when examined without Bogdanski’s limited focus. The reasons why he may not make the best mayor of Portland really are not pertinent to a discussion about whether or not he’s an appropriate graduation speaker. Jeff’s not perfect, but this state would be a much better place if more young people tried to follow his example.

  2. Anonymous 06/13/2012

    So Zach, given the examples Jack pointed out… which ones would you suggest folks should follow?

  3. Anonymous 06/13/2012

    This has been for the last nine years one of my biggest pet peeves. The lack of imagination and inspiration with graduation speakers continues to demonstrate that the UO is happy to just get a speaker. No attempt to put itself in the spotlight, bring true leaders to talk to graduates, etc.

  4. UO Matters 06/13/2012

    When I came to UO in 1995 one of the things that struck me was the emphasis on small department graduation ceremonies, instead of some bit university wide extravaganza.

    I get to see my students one last time, meet their parents when they are all very happy. The dads want to know what I think about economics, they didn’t like what their kid said I said about X, it’s always interesting. I talk with the younger siblings about college.

    I get students with both of their divorced parents and the new families, all standing there together awkwardly for what must be the first time. The photo permutations get pretty interesting.

    I have no interest listening to some motivational speech, left or right, especially not some nationally known well paid hack. I think it takes away from what we do as faculty and from the emphasis on the students and what they’ve done.

    But that’s just me I guess.

    • Anonymous 06/14/2012

      Ditto. Wholeheartedly agree.

    • Anonymous 06/14/2012

      Wait – UO Matters is an economist?

  5. Puppy 06/14/2012

    There’s a University-wide graduation? ;>}

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