2008 Woodie Awards
Flames of the Torch
Awaiting Confirmation
Issue date: 4/23/08Section: Editorials and Opinion
Last year, St. John's graduates received a commencement address from George Stephanopoulos, ABC news anchor and White House press secretary for President Bill Clinton. The event garnered a great deal of attention and was highly publicized.
The University announced that Stephanopoulos would be the commencement speaker in late March of 2007. Yet as of right now, at the end of April, there has been no such announcement regarding the speaker for the 2008 commencement ceremony on the Queens campus.
According to administrators, the commencement ceremony will feature a speaker and a number of individuals have been contacted and invited to speak at graduation.
What exactly is taking so long to confirm a speaker? And why does there appear to be such a lackadaisical approach to what is traditionally a memorable moment for graduates?
While the fate of the Queens campus commencement address is still up in the air, the speaker for the Staten Island campus has already been announced. Dominic Scianna, the director of Media Relations, told the Torch weeks ago that WCBS-TV news anchor Dana Tyler will be the keynote speaker for the Staten Island commencement.
So how was St. John's able to finalize their Staten Island speaker weeks ago, yet still be unsure who will be coming to the Queens campus?
Administrators such as Pamela Shea-Byrnes, the vice president for University Ministry and University Events, and Jose Rodriguez, associate vice president of Student Affairs and Dean of Students - gladly mentioned the Staten Island commencement speaker, though when they were asked about Queens, they became tightlipped. They explained that they did not even know who the potential candidates were. If that is indeed the case, then who does know what is going on?
It is understandable that the University would be hesitant to name names or at least throw out a few possibilities. Without a solid commitment, it could lead to misunderstandings and hard feelings if someone mentioned did not in fact appear.
The University announced that Stephanopoulos would be the commencement speaker in late March of 2007. Yet as of right now, at the end of April, there has been no such announcement regarding the speaker for the 2008 commencement ceremony on the Queens campus.
According to administrators, the commencement ceremony will feature a speaker and a number of individuals have been contacted and invited to speak at graduation.
What exactly is taking so long to confirm a speaker? And why does there appear to be such a lackadaisical approach to what is traditionally a memorable moment for graduates?
While the fate of the Queens campus commencement address is still up in the air, the speaker for the Staten Island campus has already been announced. Dominic Scianna, the director of Media Relations, told the Torch weeks ago that WCBS-TV news anchor Dana Tyler will be the keynote speaker for the Staten Island commencement.
So how was St. John's able to finalize their Staten Island speaker weeks ago, yet still be unsure who will be coming to the Queens campus?
Administrators such as Pamela Shea-Byrnes, the vice president for University Ministry and University Events, and Jose Rodriguez, associate vice president of Student Affairs and Dean of Students - gladly mentioned the Staten Island commencement speaker, though when they were asked about Queens, they became tightlipped. They explained that they did not even know who the potential candidates were. If that is indeed the case, then who does know what is going on?
It is understandable that the University would be hesitant to name names or at least throw out a few possibilities. Without a solid commitment, it could lead to misunderstandings and hard feelings if someone mentioned did not in fact appear.
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