<p>Was watching the news w discussion of Obama's speech at Morehouse, and H and I wondered - how does that work? Do colleges court the president? Does the president decide where he wishes to speak, and of course who is going to say no? I doubt the president accepts payment, but how about Mrs Obama? (Or for that matter other political figures. The then-sec-of-state spoke at my graduation.) </p>
<p>Please note I don't intend this to be a political thread. I'm asking the question about presidents in general.</p>
<p>My guess is that a lot of colleges invite the President to speak at graduation, and he (or probably his staff) decide which invitation to accept. Of course, I’m sure that the President can invite himself to speak pretty much anywhere and the college would be thrilled. </p>
<p>I really doubt that the current first lady or any current office holders would get any speaking fees. It’s different for former office holders, of course.</p>
<p>Oh good grief. I don’t want this to be a political thread. I don’t have a single problem with taxpayers paying for any trip any president takes. They can’t exactly fly commercial. Please don’t ruin this thread, ok?</p>
<p>kayf: The POTUS, like other private citizens, can do things besides his official duties when travelling. That would include fundraisers for his party. Mr. Bush, Mr Clinton and the ones before them have done the same.</p>
<p>When I travel on behalf of the govt to training/etc. as part of my work, I’m not sealed in my hotel at night. I can do other things such as sightseeing, shopping, etc. Just like you can with your private employer.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl: I’m sure his staff looks at meaningful spots and what his appearance might symbolize. I don’t think a visit to Liberty would ever happen, for instance. As for logistics, you’d think they would dialogue early enough so the college doesn’t have to dump a previously scheduled speaker.</p>
<p>Politics plays a role. The President’s staff called up Barnard last year because it made sense for his campaign to focus on and highlight women’s issues. The fact that his younger sister and all of his female classmates from his undergraduate days were at Barnard might not have hurt. (Obama attended Columbia in the final two years before it went co-ed. We have no way of knowing whether his own experiences influenced his sister’s college choice, but she was at Barnard at the same time he was at Harvard.)</p>
<p>The President also gives a commencement address at a military academy every year – he tries to rotate among the academies. I assume that this is something all Presidents do.</p>
<p>A President’s graduations speech anywhere is likely to receive media attention, so the President’s staff is probably very aware of the need to find an audience that will be fitting and receptive to whatever message will be contained in the President’s speech. (Not always a recipe for a good graduation speaker – I found Obama’s speech at Barnard last year to be quite unremarkable, perhaps because he had to juggle the task of a speech lined up to meet a political agenda with the need to avoid overt and inappropriate political campaigning at a public, nonpartisan event. </p>
<p>The first year after Obama took office, Michelle Obama gave a graduation speech at UC Merced simply because the students had managed to organize a campaign to entice her that worked. But I’m guessing that they receive hundreds of requests every year, and in the end go wherever they please. </p>
<p>I do think it is inappropriate for public elected officials to charge speaking fees while they are in office -though I really don’t know whether some do. However, once out of office the fees can be hefty-- Bill Clinton earns an average almost $190,000 for every speech he gives - however, its possible that he charges somewhat less to nonprofits like colleges and more for corporate events. (Reference: [Bill</a> Clinton has most lucrative year on speech circuit - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/03/politics/clinton-speaking-fees]Bill”>http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/03/politics/clinton-speaking-fees) )</p>
<p>I just meant that sometimes the grad venue may get selected because time is premium and if a person can “kill two birds with one stone”, then that works for time.</p>
<p>I really don’t care how travel gets charged.</p>
<p>I think there is often a political agenda to where the speeches take place. The Marshall Plan was first presented at Harvard’s 1947 commencement speech. It’s an interesting question, and I’d love to see a list of where the various presidents have given speeches each year. </p>
<p>I think it’s cool when a high government official gives a commencement speech, but they don’t always make the best speeches. I think my d. is glad that she got to meet Meryl Streep at her graduation & the speech certainly kept us all entertained. When I graduated from law school, we invited a cartoonist… and it was also one of the more entertaining speeches of my lifetime.</p>
<p>Whoa. Just heard that tickets for the luncheon held at the Arthur Blank foundation after the Moorehouse College Commencement yesterday were $10K a couple.</p>
<p>My H gets invites to many political findraisers and $5K per person to meet the President and get a photo-op with him is actually not that high (in the scope of political fundraising events).</p>
<p>Yes, the rotation through each academy’s commencement is very regular. The president, vice president, and Secretary of Defense each attend one academy’s commencement every year on a rotating basis. So any given academy will have the president show up and speak and hand the cadets their diplomas every third year. This system has been in place for decades.</p>