35 Comments
We just posted about nominating your favorite political figures, writers, scientists and members of Vampire Weekend for this year’s Columbia College Class Day speaker.
If you’re unsure of whom to pick, Bwog’s put together a quick list of people we’d think would be good choices. Feel free to argue with us or suggest your own nominees in the comments.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, empress of jurisprudence, Supreme Court resident, and Law grad
Dean of Yale School of Architecture/designer of fanciest apartment building in the city Robert A.M. Stern
Multilingual intellectual and literary critic Jacques Barzun
The New Republic‘s longtime literary editor Leon Wieseltier
United Nations all-star Hans Blix
Former Secretary of State/former CU Ph.D. candidate Madeline Albright
New York Governor David Paterson
Julius Genachowski, co-founder of first “green” bank/Obama transition team member
Art Garfunkel, just-as-talented if not-as-successful-solo half of popular 60s folk duo.
Attorney General William Pelham Barr
Arguably more attractive Affleck brother, Casey Affleck
Comedian Greg Giraldo
Journalism hero/former Spec EIC Max Frankel
Brent Forrester, writer of all your favorite TV shows
Former (current?) Clintonista/Deaniac Jay Carson
Farragut North scribe Beau Willimon
Image via Gothamist
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35 Comments
@DePalma! the man is a genius and underappreciated:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7Jw2F77GCI
@ed harris i kinda would be down for ed harris…truman show was great
@stephanopoulos when was the last time george stephanopoulos gave the class day speech? cuz there’s some rule about needing to wait 10 years before being allowed to do it again, right
@DRY EYES? BEN STEIN!!!!
BEN STEIN!!!!
BEN STEIN!!!!
BEN STEIN!!!!
@duh jim jarmusch
@Ahhh....... Need I mention the obvious choice? I didn’t vote for him, but, among the graduates of Columbia College who were elected President of the United States, I think he may well be my favorite…
@BHO Roger Federer
@xoxo blake lively! didn’t she say that she would take classes here if she had the time? that has to count for something…
@Armin Rosen Barzun and Blix have to be a joke, as is the bit about Garfunkel being just as talented as Simon (you don’t exactly see Art making alubums with Brian Eno now do you?)With this in mind, if its Wieseltier I’m sneaking into class day…
@Art Garfunkel Clearly the best choice.
@kim jong il hans brix!??!?
you’re breaking my balls, bwog.
@The King of Spain Bob Stern may be a Short Jewish Pimp, and I love him, but he is not a great speaker.
Not that anyone was going to vote for him…
@Alum Calling Madeline Albright a “former CU Ph.D. candidate” is very odd, given that she actually received the degree. Would you call Barack Obama a “former CU B.A. candidate”?
Alsp, Jacques Barzun is 101 years old and lives in El Paso. He wasn’t able to come to NYC last year when CU marked his 100th birthday, so there’s no reason to think he’ll be able to come next year.
@Alum Oops — Barzun lives in San Antonio, not El Paso. My bad.
@Jacques lives in San Antonio, not El Paso.
@btw I understand the desire to make the Class Day speaker a school-affiliate. But why the fuck aren’t they given an honorarium? That’s just obnoxious. They should, at the very least, be given an honorarium to reimburse their travel costs. No wonder we get tools like Klein. Quigley needs to wake the fuck up.
@CCSC 09 Columbia covers all expenses for the Class Day Speaker, including hotel, food, travel, etc.
An honorarium would be money on top of that. Apologies for not being clearer on our website.
CCSC ’09
@well i hear Alexander Hamilton (CC ’56) isn’t doing much these days
@ROGER LEHECKA Former Dean of CC. Took CC from single sex to co-ed. Raised graduation rates from 75% to 90%. STARTED THE DDC AS A STUDENT! and has been involved in running it since. He is also on the board that selects New York Times scholars. He is the embodiment of service on campus and hence was one of the guest speakers at ServiceNation. If this year is about Service and giving back and a new direction etc etc. he’s the right guy for the moment.
@Alum Lehecka was Dean of Students, not Dean of the College. He was in office when the College went co-ed, but he did not make it happen. I’m not sure how much of the credit he deserves for raising graduation rates, either.
I’m not saying he’s a bad choice. I’m just trying to set the record straight.
@The Record http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/05/03/rogerLehecka.html
http://www.gsas.columbia.edu/cu/record/23/20/15.html
You’re right about him being Dean of Students, but remember that the position was different back then and so was the relationship b/w schools.
@Alum The main difference between then and now is that CC and SEAS used to have separate student affairs offices, e headed by a different dean of students. I’m not sure how this bears on Roger’s desirability as a Class Day speaker, though.
Roger was absolutely great at the job, but none of the current students was around when he was still in student affairs. (He stayed at Columbia for a few more years in other capacities, but not as many students got to know him during that time.) Lots of alumni would love to see him speak, but I don’t think the current seniors are clamoring to make him the Class Day speaker.
@what about ... Ken Burns?
Anna Wintour?
Tony Kushner?
@David H *Gouverneur Morris (is his schedule open?)
*James McGreevey, former NJ Gov and closeted homosexual and white collar criminal (CC ’76)
*Radovan Karadzic, Serbian shrink politician and poet (medical training in 70s before committing genocide)
*Vikram S. Pandit, CEO of Citigroup (as long as he doesn’t foreclose on me)
*Hamilton Fish (US sec of state in 1827)
*Armand Hammer, the baking soda guy (CC ’19)
*Charles Van Doren, for all you cheaters out there (Quiz Show scandal)
*John Dewey, and his amazing decimal system
@... wayne allyn root!
kevin karn!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hp6MduWZQE
@Typo.... It’s Ginsburg, bwog~~~if you only read the wikipedia page you linked to…
@Yeah Ginsberg couldn’t speak, CC grad or parent only
@XXX DAVID PATERSON-BARACK OBAMA GRADUATION DAY BLITZ!!!
As the old adage goes: nce you go black, you indeed don’t go back!
@THE TODD What about the actor who plays the Todd from Scrubs? I think he mentioned in a bwog interview some time back that he’d love to come and speak…Can I get a second?
@umm matthew fox looks particularly fine in the above picture. how about him again- he can give the “live together, die alone” speech.
@bwog I thought you had to be either a CC alum or have some affiliation with CC (Eg: your son/daughter attend). I don’t think Law grads can be class day speakers, although David Stern seems to contradict this view
@where's mukasey?
@GARFUNKEL! LETS GET GARFUNKEL!!!!
@YES!!!! PLEASEEEE!! at least it’d be someone mega cool
@SEAS '09 Ah, the regretful SEAS student. We’ll likely get some fascinating and tech-y plutocrat to come talk about the virtue of a quantitative education and liberal arts. But I’d prefer to have my big graduation speech be any of the above. Too bad the University doesn’t shell out for speakers at Commencement. Why, again?
Question too: SEAS Class Day needs a SEAS alumnus/a. Yet above you suggest people who weren’t CC alumni/ae, but of other colleges in the greater university. Is CC’s Class Day more flexible, or are these suggestions then unfeasible?