by Christian Villodas
Beach balls, bubbles, college friends and those itchy black polyester robes you can’t wait to get out of. With hours of ceremony and an address from a former deputy secretary of state, it can only be one thing: Fairfield’s 53rd Commencement.
Even though graduates are shedding the trappings of college life and assuming the responsibilities of the real world that awaits them, they will still make time to receive some parting wisdom from commencement speaker Strobe Talbott, a former deputy secretary of state from 1994 until 2001, on Sunday, May 18.
With the wound of 9/11 still fresh and the presence of coalition forces in Baghdad, seniors will spend their final day as undergraduates celebrating the culmination of their years of study at Fairfield.
“In light of everything that is going on, I think that it is very relevant to the times right now,” said Paula Alves, ’03.
Talbott will speak to this year’s graduating seniors, offering them advice as they venture out into the job market during these uncertain times.
Administrators and students hope Talbott will entertain as well as inspire these soon-to-be graduates as they leave Fairfield to begin a new chapter of their lives.
“At a time when our foreign policy is so much a part of American discussion and debate, Mr. Talbott brings to the Fairfield campus a wealth of expertise as a scholar, writer, teacher and diplomat,” said Rev. Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., president of Fairfield University.
Rick Johnson, ’03, agreed and is hopeful that Talbott will relate well to the new graduating class.
“As long as he can be funny and relate to the audience then I’m sure he will be fine,” said Johnson. “He can’t be too serious. It’s our college graduation.”
This past July, Talbott was named president of the Brookings Institute, a public policy research organization based in Washington, D.C.
Before being named president, Talbott acted as a founding director of Yale University’s Center for the Study of Globalization. As deputy secretary of state, he served as ambassador-at-large and special adviser to the secretary of state for the new independent states of the former Soviet Union.
Aside from his extensive background in government and foreign relations, Talbott also spent more than two decades as a journalist for Time magazine, ultimately assuming the positions of foreign affairs columnist, Washington bureau chief, and editor-at-large.
During the ceremony Talbott, along with Sister Mary Rose McGeady, D.C., will be presented with honorary doctor of law degrees. McGeady has devoted her life to the service of children as president and chief executive officer of Covenant House, a New York City based organization catering to the needs of at-risk children.
While some seniors are looking forward to the commencement festivities, others remain focused on the challenges that await them following graduation.
“I’m sure he’s going to have some great advice but I think most people are just worried about getting a job and going out and finding a job they are interested in,” said Alves.
Some graduating seniors are not familiar with McGeady or Talbott, but they still remain positive about the upcoming event.
“It’s a great name [Strobe Talbott] …” said Larry Valliere, ’03.
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