Although the College has often featured political figures as Commencement speakers in the past including former President Bill Clinton, and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson '68 Dartmouth's choice of comedian Conan O'Brien follows a trend at other Ivy League schools of recruiting celebrities as Commencement speakers. Many students interviewed by The Dartmouth were excited about the choice of O'Brien, saying that O'Brien's background as a comedian would make his speech both humorous and meaningful, while others expressed reservations.
O'Brien graduated from Harvard University in 1985 with a degree in American history and edited the satirical magazine The Harvard Lampoon as an undergraduate, according to The New York Times. After writing for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, O'Brien hosted the "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" show on NBC for 16 years until 2009, The Times reported.
"I was honored to be asked to give the Commencement address to Dartmouth's graduating class of 2011, until I found out their first choice was Pauly D," O'Brien said in the College's press release that announced his selection.
In his 2000 Commencement address at Harvard, O'Brien related many of his failures in an effort to show Harvard graduates that failure comes before success.
"I've dwelled on my failures today because, as graduates of Harvard, your biggest liability is your need to succeed, your need to always find yourself on the sweet side of the bell curve," O'Brien said in his speech to the graduates. "Success is a lot like a bright white tuxedo. You feel terrific when you get it, but then you're desperately afraid of getting it dirty, of spoiling it."
Other celebrities who have recently served as Commencement speakers for Ivy League schools include Oscar-winning actors Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, who spoke at the Commencement ceremonies of Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively, this year. Hanks spoke about the disadvantages posed by technology's broadening scope, the Yale Daily News reported. Washington highlighted the importance of taking risks and acknowledging the probability of failure, according to The Huffington Post.
Several members of the Dartmouth community have questioned the value of the insights and perspective O'Brien will be able to offer as a comedian speaking to graduating seniors, The Dartmouth previously reported.
Justin Varilek '11 said that while he thought O'Brien's speech would make for a "lighter" ceremony, he didn't know how O'Brien's career as a comedian would enhance his advice.
"When I heard that [O'Brien] was going to be the speaker, I found it surprising," Varilek said. "It's not apparent what he would convey to the senior class."
Most of the seniors interviewed by The Dartmouth, however, expressed enthusiasm for O'Brien's speech.
Graduation marshal Samantha Gutierrez '11, a self-described "die-hard fan" of Conan said that she was very excited about O'Brien's selection.
"Sometimes when you try to get really serious inspirational people, you lose track of what they're saying and [the speech] may become boring if it doesn't engage you," Gutierrez said.
Another student said that O'Brien's work as a comedian makes him "the perfect choice" and ensures that O'Brien's advice will be both relevant and amusing.
"At Commencement, it can be really easy to get overly sentimental and fear that all of the fun is about to end," Michael Lewis '11 said. "I think he'll help us embrace where we are in our lives and look forward to the next step that comes after college."
O'Brien's parents will attend the commencement ceremony, which College President Jim Yong Kim said he hopes will ensure that the tone of the address will be appropriate, The Dartmouth previously reported. O'Brien's father, Thomas O'Brien, said that he did not know what the subject of his son's speech would be.
Thomas O'Brien was Kim's professor at Harvard University, The Dartmouth previously reported.
"We [the O'Brien family] spent the weekend before together, and I don't know if even [Conan] knows what his speech will be about," O'Brien said.
Varilek said that he hopes for "something that's funny and entertaining" from O'Brien's address to the Class of 2011 and that he finds it reassuring that O'Brien is not "some run-of-the-mill comedian."
The College selects the Commencement speaker through the Council of Honorary Degrees, which consists of the 2011 Class Council president, Kim, three undergraduate professors and one professor from each of Dartmouth's three graduate schools, The Dartmouth previously reported. The Council requests nominations for honorary degree recipients from the faculty, staff and members of the Class of 2011. The council then composes a list of approved names, from which the speaker is chosen and the other candidates are invited to Commencement.
Commencement speakers at other peer institutions this year include Liberia's first female president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who delivered the Commencement address to the Dartmouth Class of 2008 at Harvard University, New York City Economic Developing Corporation President Seth Pinsky at Columbia University, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth at Brown University, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, R-N.Y., at Cornell University and founder and Chief Executive Officer of Amazon Jeff Bezos at Princeton University.
