Governator Speaks at USC Commencement

The Govenator, Arnold Schwarzenegger gave this year's Commencement Address at USC. Despite some initial worries that the trademark Austrian accent might prevent some graduates from actually understanding his address, he performed admirably. The Governator's speech had all the essential elements required to make a good commencement address, including a celebrity speaker, some humor, and an easy to remember and cliched take away lesson.





I wonder how this commencement address will compare with the upcoming address at Dartmouth College on June 14th. The featured speaker will be one Louise Erdrich.

Don't be alarmed if the name didn't ring a bell. As my friend Julia (also graduating from Dartmouth this June) said today "I can't even remember who we have speaking at ours. I just know that she's an alumna with a kid here now and she ALMOST, but not quite, won a pulitzer for a book." (Full disclosure: it was this quote and the Schwarzenegger speech, which she forwarded to me, that were responsible for this post.)

Frustratingly, both Bill Russell and General John Abizaid (ret.) are receiving honorary degrees during this year's graduation ceremony. Bill Russell is the 11 time NBA Championship winning player and coach, who was voted NBA MVP 5 times in his incredible career. John Abizaid was the 4-star general in charge of USCENTCOM from 2003 to 2007.

If you ask me, both Bill Russell and John Abizaid would have made much more interesting and appealing Commencement Speakers. Instead, we get to listen to the winner of the 1984 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction speak. The excitement is so underwhelming, I don't know how I'll be able to contain it for another three weeks...