United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has agreed to deliver the keynote address at this May's commencement ceremony for Tufts' Fletcher School. Although Annan has yet to announce the topic of his speech, the event is expected to bring widespread national attention to Tufts.
"The Secretary-General usually uses these occasions to make a major speech on an issue of international concern," Fletcher professor Ian Johnstone said. "Given the reputation of the Fletcher School and its traditional focus on international organizations, including the UN, there is no better place for him to do [this]."
Anticipating an usually large crowd, the Fletcher administration will erect an oversized tent to accommodate additional guests, and tickets may be issued to control numbers. The details of ticket distribution have not yet been worked out. The presence of a top diplomat will also require additional security measures.
Consistent with student demand, the Fletcher School sought to bring a prominent speaker to its commencement ceremony. To secure Annan, Interim Dean Joel Trachtman used faculty connections, among them Ian Johnstone, a top aide to the Secretary-General before he joined Fletcher last semester as an associate professor of international law.
Fletcher traditionally invites speakers who are accomplished in international affairs but not necessarily household names, according to its spokeswoman, Terry Ann Knopf.
"Our graduation speakers like Kofi Annan are role models for our students, many of whom plan to work in areas like humanitarianism, conflict resolution, international security, and the environment," she said. "They also have a wealth of experience and wisdom which they can share with the graduating students."
Students at the school of law and diplomacy say that they are excited about the opportunity to meet Annan in person.
"He is a personality we all admire," second-year student Andriani Mortoglou said. "It will be a good start to our future to have him talking to us and a good conclusion to what has been a very good experience."
"I think it elevates the status of Fletcher and raises everyone's expectations," first-year Ph.D. candidate Jeff Gill said.
The Secretary-General regularly speaks in academic settings, and usually delivers at least one commencement address each year. Johnstone said that Fletcher is very lucky to have Annan given the multitude of invitations he receives.
Fletcher was able to lure Annan to campus, Johnstone said, because it is widely considered one of the preeminent diplomacy schools and is well known in UN circles. Many Fletcher alumni are employees of the UN or its missions. The Chef de Cabinet and Director of Communications and Special Projects in Annan's office, for example, are both Fletcher graduates.
Annan, a Ghanaian, is the UN's seventh secretary-general. He assumed the top post in January of 1997 after joining the international organization in 1962. He began as an administrative and budget officer with the World Health Organization in Geneva and is the first secretary-general to be elected from the ranks of UN staff.
In one of his most recent speeches, Annan urged business leaders attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to join the United Nations Global Compact - a platform for promoting good corporate practices - in order to help stem war, disease, and technological stagnation in developing countries.
Previous speakers at Fletcher commencements include former US Ambassador to the UN Thomas Pickering, Czech Republic Prime Minister Dr. Vaclav Klaus, former assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke, and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sagako Ogato. Fletcher's prominence attracts a number of impressive speakers involved in international affairs throughout the year.
