the "safe" choices for a commencement speaker:
Would any of these qualify? (asking honestly, because I have never heard of any of them.)
http://chronicle.com/free/speakers/
Apparently it's not such an easy chore for the "big name" schools anymore. This article, I thought, was interesting in regard to this:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0513/p02s01-ussc.html
"Final quiz: how to satisfy with graduation speakers
Rice University seniors, miffed by this year's choice, join students expecting famous faces along with diplomas.
The challenge for universities is to find a balance between someone with enough weight to impress alumni and parents and enough personality to entertain graduates. But that can be costly. Some speakers charge six figures for a 15-minute speech. This year, Rice opted out.
"It's a complex issue," says Mark Scheid, assistant to Rice President David Leebron. "It's difficult to find someone who is going to be able to say something significant to a graduating class but who only has 11 minutes of significant statements to make - and who is not going to break your budget.""
(more of the article at the above link)
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So the new "bragging rights" are WHO spoke at your commencement. Silly ..... but not much of a surprise.
.
If you want to make a point, you have to exaggerate.....
Well, reading the following story made me think of the following: I wonder how many colleges would have no problem inviting the likes of Chavez, Castro, Ahmadinejad, and yes even Saddam as their commencement speaker? And then mock those who would protest the choice by declaring ''you have to be open minded'' and ''you have to see their point of view''.
You get the point. 
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