In the commencement before the 150th Anniversary - a year when most expected the class of 2001 to get a no-name speaker so Tufts could focus its efforts on next year's important event - Jim Lehrer is a pleasant surprise.
The accomplished journalist represents a balance between two competing factions: those who want to be entertained and those who expect university speakers to be purely academic. Lehrer is neither particularly entertaining nor super intellectual, and for this reason, he was a safe, though not spectacular, choice for commencement speaker.
But many remain skeptical about the Lehrer selection. Last year, Tufts had Bill Cosby. The television star shared the stage with baseball great and honorary degree recipient Hank Aaron. This year, it's Jim Lehrer sharing the stage with honorary degree recipients with whom most students are completely unfamiliar. In brief, therein lies the gripe of many graduating seniors.
These sophomoric rumblings are more befitting high school students than graduating university scholars. Tufts could easily hire a juggling clown, and ignite fire works to dazzle the graduates and their families. Thankfully, the University is not cow-towing to student sentiment.
Lehrer, in fact, has the potential to deliver a solid commencement address. Sure, his speech will likely be on the boring side, but so are most graduation addresses. But Lehrer was not invited to Tufts to scintillate the crowds, as anyone who has watched his rather dry nightly PBS show can attest. And admittedly, he is not the kind of big name that will attract national attention, like a Cosby or a Hank Aaron. But he did happen to host three televised presidential debates this year alone, and has been honored for his work with nothing other than a presidential medal.
Lehrer, in fact, is the perfect compromise between the desires of faculty, administrators, and students. The selection of Lehrer, as compared to Cosby, shows that Tufts is attempting to satisfy its many constituencies. Left to the faculty and senior administrators, Tufts would probably have strict academicians each year - mathematicians from MIT, perhaps. Left solely to students, Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Matthews, and Pedro Martinez would crowd the dais. What is Lehrer? He is a TV star, but not a joke, an academic, but not a reclusive scientist.
And though not comparable to some of the big names that Tufts has attracted in the past - Thatcher, Powell, Bradley, to name a few - Lehrer has a wealth of experience from which to draw for his speech. He is, for example, one of the most respected journalists in America, widely acclaimed for his work during the Watergate scandal when he covered the Senate hearings and House impeachment proceedings. Already inducted to the Television Hall of Fame, Lehrer is an excellent journalist with the kind of commitment to quality that Tufts should laud.
Moreover, Jim Lehrer was a good pick for a school concerned with active citizenship. The criticism that Lehrer does not represent Tufts model of active citizenship because he won't vote in national elections - as was elucidated in a Viewpoint ("Jim Lehrer: A poor example, 3/15) last week - is entirely unfair. Call Jim Lehrer anything you want, but an uninvolved citizen he is not. Lehrer understands that citizenship is more than casting a vote, and as the UCCPS defines itself, this is a lesson that Lehrer can teach Tufts students.
Through his career, Lehrer has asked politicians tough questions that provide the American people with the vital information on which they vote. The act of voting itself is almost a formality. The American democracy requires that its citizens have a serious engagement in issues that affect their lives, and voting is one very small part of that citizenship - one, I dare say, that pales in comparison to the myriad obligations.
Perhaps most importantly, Lehrer is a pick that is consistent with Tufts educational philosophy. He is the embodiment of what Tufts teaches and wishes to impart on its students: a global and active citizen; a good speaker; a bright man with a passion for quality work; and a success in his field. This combination is exactly what a Tufts graduation speaker should be, not just someone who entertains the crowd.
Jim Lehrer won't leave you roaring in your seat, nor is he the most exciting person to grace the Tufts stage. But he is the epitome of what Tufts attempts to teach its students. He is someone who remains active in the political culture and has achieved success as well as national accolades while doing so. Though he may work for PBS - a network that but a rare few still watch - at Tufts, he will do a decent, though not incredible, job during Commencement 2001.
