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May 2008
Special Advisory Committee on Commencement Speakers Announced
New Process Designed to Improve Transparency and Strengthen Student and Faculty Input President Steven Knapp has announced formation of a Special Advisory Committee on Commencement Speakers thereby establishing a new selection process going forward. The advisory committee, comprising students, faculty, and staff, will gather and review nominations from members of the GW community and will recommend a short list of potential speakers for consideration by the University’s Board of Trustees and President Knapp. “Since arriving at GW, I have had the opportunity to meet with many students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents and this has been one of the issues on their minds,” said Knapp. “Students, in particular, have requested a more active role in selecting GW’s commencement speaker. Our new Special Advisory Committee will foster a more collaborative and transparent process.” Nominations for keynote speaker at Commencement on the National Mall will be solicited from the University community during the summer and early fall. The Special Advisory Committee will review and recommend individuals for approval by the GW Board of Trustees and the President. The Board of Trustees will review these nominations at its October meeting. President Knapp will then extend the invitation to GW’s prospective commencement keynote speaker. Donald R. Lehman, executive vice president for academic affairs, added, “Until now, GW’s commencement speaker has been typically identified from a list of honorary degree nominees previously approved by the Board of Trustees. The Special Advisory Committee on Commencement Speakers will provide a more open and streamlined process to arrive at recommendations for keynote speakers.” Vice President and General Counsel Beth Nolan will chair the committee, which will comprise two students, two faculty members, and two staff representatives. The student representatives are Vishal Aswani, president of the GW Student Association, and Timothy Little, GW Student Association vice president for academic affairs. The staff representatives are Peter Konwerski, assistant vice president, student and academic support services, and Grae Baxter, executive director of Undergraduate, Honors, Fellowships, and Research and associate professor of honors. The faculty representatives are Vanessa Northington Gamble, University Professor of Medical Humanities and professor of history, and William Becker, professor of history and international affairs.
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