compelling commencement address, The

Academe, Jul/Aug 1998 by Long, Cynthia D

CAN YOU NAME YOUR UNDERGRADUate commencement speaker? Do you remember what he or she said? If you're like Andrew Albanese, an editor at Oxford University Press, the answer is no, which is why he and Brandon Trissler compiled and edited Graduation Day: The Best of America's Commencement Speeches, recently published by William Morrow.

"When I couldn't remember who my graduation speaker was, I realized that a book on commencement addresses could offer a nice compendium of advice to those deprived of a good speaker at their own ceremony," says Albanese. "And with a myriad of issues now facing graduates in the ninetiestechnology and employment, AIDS, race, and gender-this book turned out to be an amazing primer for adulthood from our nation's most respected role models."

You'll have to buy Graduation Day to find out what these luminaries had to say, but according to Albanese, all good speeches share three qualities. The first is brevity. He says former New York governor Mario Cuomo once likened the role of commencement speaker to that of a body at an Irish wake-"they need you to have the party, but nobody expects you to do very much." The second quality is humor. "If you want people to remember your words of wisdom, make them smile at their remembrance," says Albanese. And finally, all good speeches share context. "It's not enough to tell graduates that their future lies ahead of them-they already know this. The most effective speakers are the ones who put the past in context with the future."

According to Albanese, the commencement address is considered the university's final gift to its graduates, "a motivational farewell to do the institution proud." But it doesn't hurt if the university gets some publicity in the process. "If you get Oprah Winfrey to speak at your school, the glossy brochure sure looks good for the next class of prospectives," he says.

Historically, the commencement address was delivered by the president or trustee of the school, which is still the practice at many American colleges. Others traditionally have a noteworthy student speak at commencement. But most colleges and universities now look for a famous figure to deliver an address that the graduates and their families will remember for the rest of their lives. In fact, some of the world's most famous speeches were originally delivered as commencement addresses, including George Marshall's unveiling of the Marshall Plan at Harvard University, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, precursor to his "I Have a Dream" speech at Lincoln University, Lyndon B. Johnson's revealing of the Great Society at the University of Michigan, and Gloria Steinem's 1971 address about progress at Smith College. But the commencement speech does not have to attain history-book status to be successful, and neither does the commencement speaker. Albanese says the best speakers all possess one simple, yet vital attribute-they followed their inner voices. "That's by far the most compelling message any speaker can relate-to have faith in the strength of your ideas."