In a meeting, we discussed those possible people. On a number of occasions, we advise that the university not go forward with a particular person. In fact, just this year we recommended against two people. They were not used. I will obviously not give their names. When the applications are given out to 150 faculty members, that gives you a pretty good test of whether they are likely to be a problem with other people on campus. We have a wide enough constituency that if there are going to be problems, the problems will be raised at that point. Dothe university senate, they take into account the wishes of the graduating seniors . No. All i can say is that this year, there were no graduating senior responses. Part of the problem with doing going to turnare someone down, we want to avoid publicity. You dont want to embarrass something. The purpose of this is to have a vetting process that avoids insulting or embarrassing a potential speaker. Of course, that has what happened on many campuses this year. By the time the speaker gets announced or has a detailed vetting process, then the protests arrived. A number of speakers have withdrawn. Others have been concerned that there would be public demonstrations. The purpose is to avoid that. I am not sure you can keep a lid on the names if you expose them to student bodies broadway. Our viewers to show a recent cartoon in the boston globe. Typically, is this the sort of process that happens at most universities that the Faculty Senate has a Strong Influence . Unfortunately, many campuses go with a Small Committee and i think you have to get a broader field. A commencement speech is an obligation an odd occasion. Controversial people speak on College Campuses all the time. They will even draw a large audience. They may speak before their constituency on campus. I think it is important that students and faculty be challenged by talks on campus and that they have an occasion, many occasions, to listen to very controversial points of view. Commencements are odd. Parents are there, the public is there. Very are they are a large audience and people tend whom aroundone eight degree of consensus can be built. You mentioned the Honorary Degree. What about the payment for the speaker . In any case where a speaker has withdrawn, with the payment still be due . I doubt if a payment would be due in most cases. Is, sometimes when an Honorary Degree is offered, then the speaker may not get a fee or the feed that a speaker gets maybe much lower if there is an Honorary Degree. Money comes and goes, but if you get an Honorary Degree attached to your name, that stays with you until the end of your days. There are certainly speakers that are brought in because there is a hope that they have a particular interest in some program that is going to be initiated or is ongoing at the university and really, the university is honoring them because of that shared interest and perhaps hoping, if it is a wealthy speaker, that they will be donating to the university in the future. Where seen many cases Commencement Speakers and Honorary Degrees are targeted to people of means in the hope that they will work with the in building some particular program that the university is concerned with. Typically, they will not be offered any fee at all. They are wealthy. They do not need the universitys money. The University Needs or wants their money. Cary nelson is former president of the American Association of University President s professors, rather. He serves as a live professor at the university of illinois and are viewers can find out more at. Org. Website, carynelson once you have announced the speaker or announced an Honorary Degree with a commencement speaker, withdrawing it is basically an act of cowardice. I dont think that should happen. That has happened this year and i think it is really deplorable. When a university does not have the courage to stay with its convictions. That is one of the worst things he that can happen. It is also possible, in my view, to survive a demonstration at a commencement talk. There is nothing wrong in my view with an organized demonstration about banners, chance, whatever, taking place for 30 seconds or a minute, and then the people who have engaged in the demonstration sit down and listen to the talk. A lot of people that feel that any demonstration is unacceptable i think you can live with a demonstration so long as the people who are demonstrating except the notion that they have to let the speech go on. What is totally in conflict with Academic Freedom is if demonstrators tied to prevent a speech from taking place, and i think some of the Commencement Speakers that have withdrawn this year have been afraid they might face that kind of demonstration where the aim is to violate Academic Freedom and prevent the speaker from continuing. That has happened in nondomestic situations. A fair number of times in the last few years. That reflects a failure to educate people on campus about the need to let people have their say when they are invited. Professor nelson, we appreciate you joining us here on cspan. Security secretary jeh johnson address the graduating class this year at his alma mater, morehouse college. He formed as assistant u. S. Attorney and department counsel, writing the report that paved the repeal the way for the repeal of dont ask, dont tell. This is 15 minutes. President wilson, and chairman davidson, other members of the board of trustees, faculty, alumni, members of the morehouse community, graduates, and most of all, the family members here who prayed and worked hard to see your son, grandson, brother, nephew, or cousin get to this day. All, im sorry about the weather. Tot of my job is to respond bad weather, but i cannot prevent it. That me say to my brothers in 2014, it is damp, but do not let it dampen your spirits. It is only water. Is i begin by expressing my optimism about the future of morehouse college. I lost the election for senior class president 36 years ago. I lost to the superior candidate , which launched him on his trajectory towards the office he holds today. For the last 36 years, it has been obvious to many that john was destined to one day assume the presidency of morehouse college. He possesses the right combination of academic experience, administrative experience, fundraising tenacity, leadership instincts, charisma, intelligence, evangelical fervor, faith, character, and love of the school. He is the right man at the right place at the right time for the job. The better candidate won the presidency 36 years ago. I have finally recovered from my landslide loss and have settled for being a member of the president s cabinet. [laughter] today, i will not deliver some important announcement or major policy address on Homeland Security or immigration reform, so if there is any member of the press watching or listening for that reason, you are about to be disappointed. I want to talk rectally to the morehouse graduates here. You talk directly to the morehouse graduates here. You, my brothers. I want to talk about what this institution means to me. And what it should mean to you for the rest of your life. As a student and now a graduate of morehouse college, you have chosen to travel the same road , john, spike, martin, charles, jerome, james, juhl, rodney,ynard, train, and the other members of the class of 1979 who are here traveled the day we left this institution 35 years ago. Meanchool in this place everything to us. We owe it much, far more than the value of a Fouryear College education. Morehouse is part of us, and it is a large part of what we have become today. August, 1975, i arrived here a boy. 1979, i left here a man with a mission. Arrived here a young man who never wanted to be at the center of attention. I could never imagine speaking here like this. In my house during my high was a reason to celebrate. In my house, the only time i ever heard my mother after a four letter word was when she opened my report card and looked at my grades. In fact, you are looking at someone who never really got successfully beyond 10th grade math. I took ninthgrade grade math in ninth grade and flunked. Took 10th grade math, 11th grade math, 12th grade math and flunked the regents exam. My high school down and that High School Guidance counselor my High School Guidance counselor told my mother she should look at to your college for her son. I was tuned out and did not care. My mother was distraught. My father in his quiet wisdom prodded me to think about morehouse college. By good fortune, i visited morehouse homecoming weekend. I could feel the energy and excitement on this campus. I saw the proud young black men who walked this campus. I was impressed at the sight and sound of several hundred black men singing in unison about pledging their life to this institution and ties more brotherly. I got a look at the ladies across the street. Though i had never been here before in my life, something about this place was calling me. By the time i arrived here in 1975, however, i was ill in a fog. I still had not caught fire. Filling week, i recall out an index card for some basic personal information. I got to the line that asked major and did not even know what to put down. I did not even know what it was understood in studying here. I looked at my father, who said, for lack of an obvious choice, just put down political science. I spent freshman year here pretty much as i spent my high school years, asleep academically. My gpa my first year was 1. 8. 1. 8, both semesters. But something was stirring inside. I listened to the sermons and this beaches. On tuesdaysembly and chapel on thursdays. I realized i was in a special place, a kingdom. I became proud of who i was and what i was about to become. But for those of us who are freshmen here in 1975, something was missing. Did the energy, the ambition and the talent was here, but the great struggles of the civil rights movement, the marches, the siddons, the freedom rides, were largely over. Quite honestly rebels without a cause. We look for anything about which to protest or march. Eagerly accepted martys invitations to dr. Kings plan marches. The more frequent objects of our protest was food. The food in the 1970s was terrible. To those graduating today, i assure you it was worse then. We were served in green trays with five compartm i