Published in the Bullet, Jan. 31, 2008--
Last week the University of Mary Washington announced that this year's commencement speaker is U.S. Senator John William Warner, Jr.
In contrast to the strong reaction to last year's commencement speaker, Newt Gingrich, campus reactions towards Warner are more subdued.
"I don't really care one way or the other, as long as his speech is good," said senior Jonathan May.
However, senior Andrew Fitzgerald expressed concern for the administrative decision.
"I have mixed feelings about John Warner being the commencement speaker," Fitzgerald said. "Although I respect his service to the Commonwealth and the country, I have not agreed with his politics this past year."
According to Warner's online senate office biography, the 80-year-old Republican is now serving his fifth consecutive term as the United States Senator for Virginia.
He announced last year that he would not run for a sixth term in the Senate.
Richard V. Hurley, acting president and vice president for administration, finance, and legislative affairs, explained that the reasons for choosing Warner were largely connected with the University's Centennial Celebration.
"We wanted someone who has a historical perspective on the institution and Senator Warner was a good choice because he was here ten years ago," Hurley said. "We are a completely different institution now compared to what we were then."
Besides Warner, other candidates were considered, including Belle Wheelen, president of the Southern Association of Colleges, and Viola Baskerville, Secretary of Administration for the Commonwealth.
Choosing a commencement speaker, the administration takes a lot into consideration, and Hurley commented on this process.
"We want a good speaker who will deliver a good message to our graduates," Hurley said. "Beyond that, we take into consideration what else is happening globally, nationally or here locally and make a connection to what we know, as we did in Senator Warner."
Warner serves as the second-ranking Republican of the Senate Armed Services committee, of which he was once also the committee's Chairman, as well as the Senate Intelligence Committee and Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works. He is also a member of the Senate committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.
Some students believe that Warner's political status is not a necessary provision for any commencement speech.
Fitzgerald's idea of what a commencement speaker represents reflects that concern.
"I feel we have commencement speakers to reflect upon past academic work and life experiences while at the same time speaking to graduates and their families about the numerous possibilities the future holds. They stress how the actions of each graduate can influence the direction of our country in coming year. I feel that as long as the commencement speaker represents ideals of reflection and vision, it shouldn't necessarily matter who our commencement speaker is," Fitzgerald said.
"I do not, however, support using the microphone as a pedestal from which they can promote certain political or religious views."
The irony of back-to-back conservative political leaders addressing the graduates in the past two years has not been overlooked, but Hurley insisted that the situation is completely coincidental.
"In reality, I never thought about the fact that we would have back to back speakers from the Republican Party. I was more focused on our Centennial and who the best fit might be for us given this anniversary," Hurley said.
Senior Jonathan May also concluded that there was no deliberate connection between the two consecutive conservative speakers, and that student reactions to each speaker were dissimilar.
"I don't think it'll get nearly as much publicity as Newt Gingrich did. John Warner isn't as much of a household name," senior Jonathan May said.
Warner is a Virginia native, with a B.S. from Washington and Lee and a law degree from the Law School of the University of Virginia. After enlisting in the Navy in 1945, Warner served active military duty during World War II, and later as a Marine Corps ground officer in Korea. From 1972-74, Warner was appointed Secretary for the Navy, issuing in that time two diplomatic assignments. The subsequent "Incidents at Sea Executive Agreement (1970-72)," settled between the United States and the Soviet Union is still in effect today.
The graduation ceremonies will begin promptly at 9 a.m. on April 10, in Ball Circle.
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