Greenfield to have `the last word' at '96 commencement
President Malcolm Gillis, a friend of Greenfield's, announced her selection at Monday's Student Association meeting. He praised the 63-year-old journalist as an "equal opportunity critic" and "straight-shooter."
"If she thinks you're blowing smoke, she'll come after you," Gillis said.
"She's very plain-spoken, and she has a wonderful command of the English language," he said.
Gillis explained that Greenfield had turned down the "moderate" honorarium that he offered her "because it was her policy to do so."
Greenfield, a native of Seattle, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Smith College in 1952 with a B.A. in English. She attended Cambridge University in London as a Fulbright Scholar for one year.
She was the Washington bureau chief for Reporter Magazine before becoming a correspondent and later its Washington editor in 1965.
Greenfield joined the Washington Post in July 1968 and was appointed deputy editor of the editorial page the next year. Since 1979, she has been the editor of the Post's editorial page.
Her bi-weekly Newsweek column, "The Last Word," deals with a variety of topics from the political to the mundane. Recent subjects have included the scandal surrounding Oregon Senator Bob Packwood, the "awful" choices in the 1996 presidential race and a satire proposing a dress code on commercial airline flights.
Greenfield's selection came after Gillis unsuccessfully tried to bring each of the five "short-list" choices made by the Class of 1996 last year. Author Toni Morrison, movie director Steven Spielburg, South African Archbishop Desmund Tutu, former Texas governor Ann Richards and former Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen all refused Rice's invitation to speak at the 83rd commencement.
Gillis said that four out of the five declined to speak because of prior engagements.
"In every case it was because of schedule conflicts. These are not the kind of people who turn it down on [financial] grounds," he said.
Gillis said that he would move "heaven and earth" to get a speaker from the short-list chosen by the commencement speaker committee.
The Class of 1996 Commencement Speaker Committee was headed by Wiess College senior Carmen Peralta. She described a multi-stage process where input was solicited from students, faculty members, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy Director Edward Djerejian and Vice President for Student Affairs Zenaido Camacho to create a list of 10 top choices. Class of 1996 members voted for their top five picks to create the short list.
Both Peralta and Gillis said that the fact that Rice doesn't give honorary degrees keeps the university from attracting "big name" commencement speakers to the annual event.
However, neither thought that the solution was to change the 80-year-old tradition or to pay more substantial honoraria.
"I don't think we should offer money or degrees ... I think what we're looking for is someone who is going to be truly inspirational," Peralta said.
Peralta said that she hoped that future committees would be able to present speakers to the president who could attend the ceremony; she said that a "more effective process of selection" might be needed.
"The purpose of the committee is to give suggestions. ... Ultimately, the decision is with [the president]," she said.
Peralta had confidence in Gillis' pick of Greenfield. "I trust that she will be a wonderful speaker."
-- News Editor Chetan Kapoor contributed to this story.
This item appeared in the News section of the September 22, 1995 issue.
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