5 Commencement Guests Who are Speaking at Colleges You Wouldn't Expect
May 17, 2013 RSS Feed Print
A slew of politicos and celebrities have been asked by their
alma maters to come dole out advice to the class of 2013 in the coming
weeks.
[CHECK OUT: Google Map of the 2013 College Commencement Speakers]
Others aren't alumni, but the choices make sense, such as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who spoke to a bunch of tech geeks at the University of California-Berkeley this week, or Kerry Washington, of Washington-based political thriller "Scandal" fame, who will speak at George Washington University this weekend.
But some of the other picks have left us scratching our heads. Five of the odder pairings of commencement speakers and universities:
1. Ed Helms, Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., June 6.
We're not sure what advice the comedic actor from "The Hangover" will have for this tiny liberal arts college, except maybe this rant, which comes from an episode of "The Office" as his character Andy Bernard:
"When I was in college I used to get wicked hammered. My nickname was Puke. I would chug a fifth of SoCo, sneak into a frat party, polish off a few people's empties, some brewskies, some Jell-O shots, do some body shots off myself, pass out, wake up the next morning, puke, rally, more SoCo, head to class. Probably would have gotten expelled if I let it affect my grades, but I aced all my courses. They called me Ace. It was totally awesome. Got straight B's. They called me Buzz."
2. Michelle Obama, Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Ky., June 8.
As far as we can tell, FLOTUS has zero ties to the university, to Richmond, or to the Commonwealth of Kentucky – which Romney carried by a landslide in the presidential election. The White House said the first lady chose EKU because of the support it has shown for veterans and military families. But at least one campus group, the Young Americans for Liberty, found reason to ridicule her appearance. According to the Huffington Post, the group handed out fliers that read: "Good luck landing your first job. ... Only 47 percent of you will be able to find a job in your preferred field, so I hope you're still on good terms with your parents."
3. Erskine Bowles, Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C., May 18.
As the former White House chief of staff and one half of the deficit-reduction panel "Simpson-Bowles," Erskine Bowles is an unlikely get for the tiny, all-women college in South Carolina. College spokeswoman Beth Lancaster told Whispers that "Erskine is a big deal for us." But the politico's mother, Jessamine, attended Converse and Bowles told the university "My mama would have shot me if I said no."
4. Julie Andrews, the University of Colorado-Boulder, May 8.
Some might have been skeptical that the beloved "Sound of Music" and "Mary Poppins" star could connect with the university likely best known for its marijuana usage, but the 77-year-old actress turned out to be rather feisty. At one point in her speech, she told the graduates to "go out and kick butt."
5. The Dalai Lama, Tulane University in New Orleans, May 18.
His Holiness will address likely-to-be-inebriated Tulane graduates in the Superdome (yes, the Dalai Lama in the Superdome), where he will speak just after attending a conference in the city entitled "Resilience: Strength Through Compassion and Connection." His visit has already angered some Chinese students at Tulane, including senior William Hao Zhe Wang, who told the Tulane Hullabaloo: "I've tried really hard to be friends with American students, and I really enjoy my American friends" but that the choice of Dalai Lama was a "political s— cake in your face."
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[CHECK OUT: Google Map of the 2013 College Commencement Speakers]
Others aren't alumni, but the choices make sense, such as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who spoke to a bunch of tech geeks at the University of California-Berkeley this week, or Kerry Washington, of Washington-based political thriller "Scandal" fame, who will speak at George Washington University this weekend.
But some of the other picks have left us scratching our heads. Five of the odder pairings of commencement speakers and universities:
1. Ed Helms, Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., June 6.
We're not sure what advice the comedic actor from "The Hangover" will have for this tiny liberal arts college, except maybe this rant, which comes from an episode of "The Office" as his character Andy Bernard:
"When I was in college I used to get wicked hammered. My nickname was Puke. I would chug a fifth of SoCo, sneak into a frat party, polish off a few people's empties, some brewskies, some Jell-O shots, do some body shots off myself, pass out, wake up the next morning, puke, rally, more SoCo, head to class. Probably would have gotten expelled if I let it affect my grades, but I aced all my courses. They called me Ace. It was totally awesome. Got straight B's. They called me Buzz."
2. Michelle Obama, Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Ky., June 8.
As far as we can tell, FLOTUS has zero ties to the university, to Richmond, or to the Commonwealth of Kentucky – which Romney carried by a landslide in the presidential election. The White House said the first lady chose EKU because of the support it has shown for veterans and military families. But at least one campus group, the Young Americans for Liberty, found reason to ridicule her appearance. According to the Huffington Post, the group handed out fliers that read: "Good luck landing your first job. ... Only 47 percent of you will be able to find a job in your preferred field, so I hope you're still on good terms with your parents."
3. Erskine Bowles, Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C., May 18.
As the former White House chief of staff and one half of the deficit-reduction panel "Simpson-Bowles," Erskine Bowles is an unlikely get for the tiny, all-women college in South Carolina. College spokeswoman Beth Lancaster told Whispers that "Erskine is a big deal for us." But the politico's mother, Jessamine, attended Converse and Bowles told the university "My mama would have shot me if I said no."
4. Julie Andrews, the University of Colorado-Boulder, May 8.
Some might have been skeptical that the beloved "Sound of Music" and "Mary Poppins" star could connect with the university likely best known for its marijuana usage, but the 77-year-old actress turned out to be rather feisty. At one point in her speech, she told the graduates to "go out and kick butt."
5. The Dalai Lama, Tulane University in New Orleans, May 18.
His Holiness will address likely-to-be-inebriated Tulane graduates in the Superdome (yes, the Dalai Lama in the Superdome), where he will speak just after attending a conference in the city entitled "Resilience: Strength Through Compassion and Connection." His visit has already angered some Chinese students at Tulane, including senior William Hao Zhe Wang, who told the Tulane Hullabaloo: "I've tried really hard to be friends with American students, and I really enjoy my American friends" but that the choice of Dalai Lama was a "political s— cake in your face."
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