As Tufts celebrates its sesquicentennial anniversary, the administration is looking for an alumnus to deliver the keynote commencement address in May. Though celebrity speakers have highlighted past commencements, this year, administrators say is important to connect the graduating class to others who have studied at the University.
"I think it would be terrific if we had an alumnus give the commencement address," President Larry Bacow said. "I am confident we will have an outstanding graduate of Tufts address the senior class."
Director of Alumni Relations Tim Brooks said that since 2002 marks the University's sesquicentennial, a speaker connected to Tufts is more desirable than one known for his or her name.
"Because this is the 150th anniversary of the institution, I think the goal is to highlight alumni through the whole process," Brooks said.
But Brooks is unsure whether the administration will solicit recommendations from students and faculty or use a theme, such as significant contributions to humanity. He declined to speculate on who the administration might eventually choose. Listing famous alumni would "be like grabbing into a bag of nails," Brooks said.
During his two years at the University, Brooks said that he usually receives hints about the commencement speaker by February or March. Last year, the administration waited until March before officially announcing that Jim Lehrer, the host of the PBS news program that bears his name, would speak at commencement.
The University will likely find it hard to match the caliber of last year's speakers. In addition to Lehrer, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan addressed graduates of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Ambassador to the United Nations' World Food Program George McGovern, Director of the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) and for the National Institutes of Health Judith Vaitukaitis, Boston Globe business and economics columnist David Warsh, and Daniel Federman, a senior dean at Harvard, addressed Tufts' other graduate schools last May.
The previous year, comedian Bill Cosby delivered the keynote address to students graduating from all of Tufts' schools.
This spring's commencement with be the 145th in Tufts history. Though the University was founded in 1852, the first commencement was not held until five years later.
