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The Rice Thresher
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by Mark Berenson and Brian Stoler Thresher staff Most graduating seniors are fairly sure they will receive a degree at Rice's May 12 commencement. Who will speak at the event, however, remains up in the air. The 2001 Commencement Speaker Committee will meet in the next week to discuss additional possibilities for this year's speaker. For various reasons, none of the eight candidates who were approached accepted the invitation to speak at commencement (see box, Page 8). Members of the Class of 2001 voted in March from a list of 33 nominees. The committee then submitted to President Malcolm Gillis its list of 11 recommended candidates, consisting of the top 10 vote-getters plus writer Larry McMurtry, who graduated from Rice in 1958 and received his M.A. from Rice in 1960, as an additional candidate from the Rice community. In late spring and through the summer, Gillis and Assistant to the President Mark Scheid contacted the candidates the university felt would make suitable speakers. Most of the candidates declined for pragmatic reasons. For example, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell, the first candidate approached, was "very interested in speaking at Rice, and all set on doing it," Scheid said. However, the date of this year's graduation ceremony conflicted with a previously arranged speaking engagement. Entertainer Bill Cosby also initially expressed interest in speaking at this year's graduation. But, when Cosby found out Rice does not grant honorary degrees, he declined the offer. Rice has a long-standing tradition of not granting honorary degrees. "Rice's tradition is if you get a degree from Rice, you earn it," Scheid said. Scheid said he believes this is an absolute rule, and the university has no plans to make an exceptions. However, one candidate from the original list is still a possibility. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright declined to speak because she is in government service, and is thus, according to Scheid, unable to make a contract. However, in her conversations with Rice, she spoke of an interest is speaking if the university could wait until November for a commitment. According to Scheid, it was decided in June that November was too far off to wait. However, if the second round of the candidate search is unsuccessful, Albright may be contacted again. The speaker committee last spring created a list of eight alternate candidates from the original list, said committee member Craig Harrison, a Sid Richardson College senior. Last spring's alternates will form the basis of the list that will be submitted to Gillis. Along with Scheid, he will contact the candidates. Although Rice has traditionally announced its commencement speaker around the first week of classes, there is no official deadline for the selection. The speaker committee consists of three members of the senior class, two graduate students and one faculty representative.
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