<p>I know it's way early, but eager family members are asking who the main speaker will be in May. If anyone hears, please post here. I promise to do the same. Rumors are as welcome as facts.</p>
<p>If onceburnt doesn’t mind, we can have some fun with this while we wait to hear who is selected. Who would be your top choice? One per customer, please. Makes it more interesting than doing a top 3, I think.</p>
<p>Of course, if anyone hears a rumor, just make sure you identify it as a rumor, and that it is not necessarily your top choice.</p>
<p>I have to give it some thought before I weigh in with mine.</p>
<p>I hope it is clear that all are welcome to relate their choice, not just those that are graduating or have children graduating.</p>
<p>I’ll have to think too. It’s hared to top the Dalai Llma!</p>
<p>In my opinion, this beats the Dalai Lama: [Ellen</a> DeGeneres at Tulane’s 2009 Commencement Speech - YouTube](<a href=“Ellen DeGeneres at Tulane's 2009 Commencement Speech - YouTube”>Ellen DeGeneres at Tulane's 2009 Commencement Speech - YouTube)</p>
<p>Love the fun…let’s be imaginative. Brad Pitt seems to love NOLA. He and Angelina would be fabulous. Also, Blake Lively has been around town quite a bit this fall. The under 23 year olds would love her. Would Barak or Michelle be reaching too high?</p>
<p>Getting a President is always a long shot, the First Lady almost as much so. But I would think Tulane would have a chance at one of them.</p>
<p>Someone else in a PM suggested Brangelina, so in essence there’s two people in a very short time thinking the same way.</p>
<p>OK, I have made my choice. In the spirit that the person should have ties to either Tulane or New Orleans (or of course both) I would suggest Perry Chen.</p>
<p>Who in the world is Perry Chen, you say? He graduated from Tulane (Freeman) in 1998 and 11 years later he was the main inspiration for and co-founder of Kickstarter. A great success story, IMO.</p>
<p>There were a lot of more famous people I thought about, but he seems, to me, to embody a lot of what Tulane is about, along with being a successful graduate.</p>
<p>I would want everyone to enjoy the day so I would skip politicians and the Pope. How about Pat Riley or Lou Holtz?</p>
<p>I understand the sentiment, and I certainly cringe sometimes when a politician I don’t like is suggested (although 95% of the time I can look past my personal politics for the purpose of a commencement speech). But you can never please everyone. The Dalai Lama caused consternation among the Chinese nationals that were attending Tulane.</p>
<p>Having said that, as I was wondering about my choice, Bill Belichick did come to mind. Of course if you hate the Patriots…I know there have to be a lot of Jets fans in the Tulane family.</p>
<p>I know some colleges have one college-wide graduation speaker, and school-specific graduation speakers. (In Tulane’s context, this means SSE has one, Freeman has one, SPHTM has one, law school has one, and so on, so forth) But do Tulane have an university-wide commencement and school-specific graduation ceremonies on top?</p>
<p>If Freeman has its own graduation ceremony with only Freeman graduates in it, then Perry Chen could do the Freeman-specific graduation speech.</p>
<p>Tulane used to do graduations by school, but for some time now there is what they call the “Unified” ceremony. So just the one main speaker.</p>
<p>Chen’s a little out there, I know. Maybe if Kickstarter gets to be closer to the size of Facebook or Google, it would be a more compelling case It is just so entrepreneurial, both itself and who it serves, and Tulane along with New Orleans has such an entrepreneurial focus as well.</p>
<p>Of course, we are missing the obvious choice here…Fallenchemist!</p>
<p>Ummmmmm, yeah, OK. Don’t think that will ever happen. Besides, I have focused more about getting them in, not sending them on their way after they are done. Of course I am very interested in the latter as well, but needless to say there are far more interesting people to excite the graduates. Not to mention that my D, who is planning on coming back in May for the ceremony (if she isn’t back in China or otherwise engaged in something she cannot take time away from), would be completely mortified.</p>
<p>But thanks for the compliment!</p>
<p>How about Robin Roberts? Semi local…</p>
<p>Or Ruby Bridges? Met her at Mardi Gras last year.</p>
<p>Ruby Bridges! Good one! But for the main speaker–Michelle Obama has my vote.</p>
<p>Perhaps draw an alumnus at random among graduates of past classes…</p>
<p>^^^I don’t think that is what people are looking for at a commencement.</p>
<p>I know the day is about the students and not Pres. Cowen, but… as it’s his last commencement and in recognition of all that he’s achieved for the city as well as the school, I think someone “of consequence”. I’m thinking the President himself (Obama, that is), or maybe even Bobby Jindal.</p>
<p>Has James Carville ever spoken? - He can be entertaining!</p>