U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., will address class of 2006 graduates and guests June 16 at Northwestern’s 148th annual commencement, NU officials announced today.
Obama will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree at the ceremony in Ryan Field, said Alan Cubbage, vice president for university relations.
“He’s someone who is familiar to many people here and has been extremely articulate and effective as a senator for Illinois,” Cubbage said. “He’s a rising star, an extremely good speaker.”
Obama entered the international spotlight when, as an Illinois state senator, he presented the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Obama was sworn into the U.S. Senate in January 2005 as the fifth black senator in the nation’s history.
He is the Senate’s only black member and serves on committees for foreign relations, veteran’s affairs, and environmental and public works.
During his seven years in the Illinois state Senate, Obama created the Earned Income Tax Credit. This provided state residents with more than $100 million in tax cuts in three years. He worked to expand early childhood education and helped draft legislation requiring that all interrogations and confessions in capital cases be videotaped.
Music senior Janelle Jansen attended last year’s ceremony and criticized the commencement speaker, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for speaking about his own life rather than the future of the graduating class. She is excited for Obama’s address because he will be “respectful,” she said.
“I’ve seen him speak at Grant Park before, and I was amazed that he does such community outreach,” Jansen said. “He’s an amazing individual. He knows how to appreciate life, and he can tell us how to balance fun and life.”
NU’s Board of Trustees and the Committee on Honorary Degrees select the commencement speaker and recipients of additional honorary degrees each year, said John Margolis, associate provost and committee member. They take suggestions from students and faculty, but decisions are based on the availability of potential speakers and recipients, Cubbage said.
Margolis said the Illinois senator was not a runner-up.
“He was clearly the first choice, and we’re delighted that he has accepted the invitation to address the graduates,” he said.
Additional honorary degree recipients will be announced after ceremony plans are finalized in May.
Eight individuals received honorary degrees last year.
Reach Margaret Matray at [email protected].
