By Alex Joseph

                  A swarm of students, draped in their black gowns and stiff mortarboards, filed to their seats on the warm afternoon of May 21, 2005. In just a few minutes they would walk onto the stage at Georgetown’s commencement ceremony as students and walk off as alumni. But first, among their peers and family, they would attend one last lecture; a final speaker would inspire them to strive for excellence outside the walls of their alma mater.
Unfortunately, this was not the case. W. Richard West Jr., director of the unpopular and perennially disappointing National Museum of the American Indian, took the stage and continued Georgetown’s tradition of underwhelming commencement addresses.
Three years later, as my own graduation day approaches rapidly, I can not say that I expect anything different.
Although students have become accustomed to amazing speaking events on Georgetown’s campus throughout the year, commencement addresses fall noticeably short. The university benefits greatly from its name and location, allowing student groups to book highly sought after personalities, while only paying a fraction of the cost for honorarium and travel. “Speakers like to come to Georgetown because we have a strong reputation of academic excellence and students that bring interesting viewpoints to any conversation. It also helps that we are in D.C., the location is just fantastic,” says Sarah Delaney, vice chair for internal affairs of The Lecture Fund, the student group which brings to campus speakers such as Condoleezza Rice, Hamad Karzai, and Robin Williams.
But when graduation day finally arrives, the speakers are of a notably lower-profile. Past commencement speakers have included museum directors, professors from fellow universities, and successful local businessmen. In 2006, the lecturer for Georgetown Medical School was none other than the president of the Georgetown Medical School. While speakers should surely be judged on the content of their words rather than their celebrity, high-profile speakers can fuel excitement about graduation and can deliver moving addresses that serve as a touchstone for the graduating class.
Consider the commencement speech delivered by Steve Jobs to Stanford University’s graduating class of 2005. The speech, in which Jobs told students to “stay hungry, stay foolish,” received international press due to its powerful message about inspiration and passion. It has become so popular that over 1.7 million people have viewed a recording of the event on Youtube.  The same can be said for Harvard University’s 2004 commencement, where the raucous Sacha Baron Cohen, posing as his comedic alias Ali G, delivered an unforgettable rant to the students during Harvard’s Class Day. Students to this day are still known to say, “I was there for the Ali G speech.” Harvard’s 2007 line up included Bill Gates and Bill Clinton, a Georgetown alumnus, and tickets were in such high demand that they were being scalped in the weeks preceding the ceremony.
In contrast, Melanie Mason, a 2007 graduate of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, says of her graduation speaker, “I remember who she was. Unfortunately, I also remember it was a pretty boring speech.”
Georgetown’s most memorable commencement speaker in recent history made headlines for the all the wrong reasons. Cardinal Francis Arinze used the 2004 graduation celebration as a platform to deliver a pro-family screed, crying out for a return to traditional Catholic values. Rather than inspire the students facing him, he left the graduating class with a hateful tirade as their last memory of the Hilltop. The student government and campus media outlets quickly denounced the speech. This highlights another flaw in Georgetown’s commencement proceedings; no student input is taken into account.
 “The Senior Class Committee has nothing to do with it, it is all up to the deans,” said William McCoy, Associate Director of Student Programs. This stands in stark contrast to other universities, such as Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, where a collection of class marshals and student government officers are permitted to bring someone representative of the student body’s wishes to accompany the administration’s appointed speaker.
Jennifer Harvey, a senior at Georgetown’s College of Arts & Sciences, feels that the lack of communication has lead to a disconnect between the administration and students. “Some of us aren’t satisfied with the graduation speakers, but you have to wonder if the administration even realizes it,” said Harvey.
While it may be too late to save my own graduation ceremony, let this editorial be my attempt to open dialogue with the administration. I implore Georgetown’s leaders to rise to the occasion and bring speakers who can inspire us to achieve to our highest potential. It is my hope that in challenging my alma mater to do her best, she in turn can find a speaker that will do the same for us on graduation day.
Alex Joseph is a senior in Georgetown’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. He is also a member of the Georgetown University Lecture Fund.