Many seniors are expressing anger that there will not be a nationally recognized commencement speaker at this year's graduation on May 15.
According to Joan Epro, associate dean of Academic Affairs, in the last 20 years there has never been a commencement speaker per se, but instead honorary degree recipients who speak for a brief time during the ceremony.
This year’s honorary recipients are Dr. Zeddie Bowen, Franklin Pierce University chairman of the board, and Patricia Lang Barry, Rindge selectwoman. “I guess [Birge] is trying to make a point about town-gown relationships because Bowen and Barry represent the town, and we’ve been trying for a long time to create a good relationship with Rindge,” said Epro.
According to Patricia Garrity, director of marketing and communications, one of Birge’s top priorities since he arrived at Pierce has been establishing stronger relations between the town and the university. “We want students to feel welcome [in Rindge] and want [the town] to appreciate the good in the students and not only look at the negative,” she said.
Some students are unsatisfied with the commencement this year. Justin Sultzbach, student body president, said that he had no involvement in the decision making process for commencement. "While I am sure it was not the Administration’s intent, myself and many of my peers are displeased with the university’s decision making process regarding our 2010 commencement."
On April 29 three seniors published an opinion article on The Exchange, stating their disappointment with this year’s commencement. According to the article, “There is nothing wrong with having local community members honored, but we also want to hear the words from someone who is part of the greater global community, one that Franklin Pierce has so strongly supported in the past.”
According to Garrity, the honorary degree recipients are not paid to speak at graduation.
"I think the biggest change between this year and years past (in terms of negative feelings towards the lack of a commence speaker) is that for the past academic year many members of the administration have been pushing this lofty message that they are going to make this school a better place, and that things will be new and different and better. In actuality it’s the same mediocre school sealed in flashy new packaging. Nothing has changed here. If anything it has gotten worse. And I think it has hit a point where the students have had enough of the twisted truths and broken promises...I think students are upset because certain members of the University have been pushing a promise of positive change and the only thing we have seen this academic year is continued mediocrity," said Sultzbach.
According to Epro in the past the main requirement for being an honorary degree recipient is being a “leader of conscience.” Epro said, “Very often we have people who aren’t particularly famous but have done something in the world that makes a difference. People who do stuff that makes you think, ‘Oh my God, if I could be that way.’”
Garrity also said that President Birge is trying to bring the focus back to the students this year at graduation. “This year the valedictorian will be speaking this year, which hasn’t happened in the past,” said Garrity.
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