{"id":9462,"date":"2025-01-30T02:32:44","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T06:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelantern.com\/projects\/?post_type=project&p=9462"},"modified":"2025-01-31T00:07:29","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T04:07:29","slug":"auto-draft","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/www.thelantern.com\/projects\/project\/auto-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"Commencement speakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#BC1A1A” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.thelantern.com\/projects\/files\/2025\/01\/cover-image.jpg” title_text=”cover image” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”||on||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” text_font_size=”10px” text_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” min_height=”30px” custom_margin=”-26px||0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”](Left) Then-President of the United States George W. Bush delivers a commencement speech to the graduating class on June 14, 2002. Credit: University Archives <\/strong>(Right) Social entrepreneur and musician Chris Pan delivers a commencement speech to the graduating class on May 5, 2024. Credit: Sebastian Petrou Griffith | Lantern Reporter<\/strong><\/span><\/i>
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_heading title=”Behind the scenes of Chris Pan\u2019s viral commencement speech” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”||||||||” title_text_align=”center” title_text_color=”#FFFFFF” title_font_size=”65px” title_line_height=”1.2em” title_text_shadow_style=”preset5″ text_shadow_style=”preset4″ text_shadow_color=”#000000″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_heading title=”The nomination process, Ohio State\u2019s speaker history and who really made the call” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”||on||||||” title_text_align=”center” title_text_color=”#FFFFFF” title_font_size=”42px” title_line_height=”1.2em” min_height=”132px” custom_padding=”||0px|||” title_text_shadow_style=”preset5″ text_shadow_style=”preset4″ text_shadow_color=”#000000″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_heading title=”By Emma Wozniak | Editor-in-Chief” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” title_text_align=”center” title_text_color=”#000000″ title_font_size=”25px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_heading][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”22px” text_line_height=”1.2em” global_colors_info=”{}”]As the class of 2024 sat in the \u2018Shoe in May, there were dozens of commencement speakers they could have heard from, each one having been considered by the university\u2019s Commencement Speaker Advisory Committee that year.<\/p>\n

Michelle Obama, the 44th first lady of the United States and the first Black woman to serve in the role, was the committee\u2019s first choice.<\/p>\n

Lizzo, formally known as Melissa Viviane Jefferson and a singer-songwriter with almost 11 million monthly Spotify listeners, was the committee\u2019s second preference.<\/p>\n

LeBron James, the NBA all-time leading scorer and an open advocate for higher education who is also an Ohio native, was ranked No. 3 by the committee.<\/p>\n

Other individuals on the committee\u2019s list included Olympian Michael Phelps, comedian and talk-show host Trevor Noah and actor-producer Morgan Freeman.<\/p>\n

Instead, university President Ted Carter Jr. selected Chris Pan \u2014 the social entrepreneur who encouraged graduates to consider investing in Bitcoin, performed two songs and a magic trick and openly admitted to writing drafts of his speech while high on the psychedelic drug ayahuasca. Pan did not appear at all on the committee\u2019s list of recommended speakers for the 2023-24 year.<\/p>\n

A Lantern data analysis of Ohio State commencement speakers from the past half-century reveals the average speaker is a white, male, non-Ohio State alum with a career in education.<\/p>\n

Pan, on the other hand, is a non-white, male alum with a career in entrepreneurship. Clearly, he breaks the mold in more ways than one.<\/p>\n

On that spring day, even before the commencement ceremony had come to a close, online controversy sparked. Then-graduates and their families, members of the Ohio State community, journalists and others took to social media to express dissatisfaction \u2014 and for some, blatant criticism \u2014 toward Pan\u2019s speech.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn hindsight, I probably would have gone with a more conventional approach,\u201d Pan said. \u201cBut then again, if I would have done that, it probably would have been forgotten. So, that\u2019s something that I guess is what it is. I\u2019m still figuring it out, I\u2019m still processing it myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among these layers of frustration, one question seemed most prevalent:<\/p>\n

How was Pan chosen as the commencement speaker?<\/p>\n

According to records obtained from the university, Pan received one public nomination in 2016 via Ohio State\u2019s online nomination portal<\/span><\/a>. Separate records of the advisory committee\u2019s recommendation lists show Pan was under committee consideration for the 2019 summer and autumn commencement ceremonies.<\/p>\n

The following year, Pan was considered a \u201cbrought forward\u201d nominee \u2014 meaning he wasn\u2019t on the original list of nominated candidates for that year but was added based on a previous year\u2019s committee recommendation \u2014 for the 2020 summer and autumn ceremonies.<\/p>\n

After the 2020-21 academic year, Pan\u2019s name does not appear on any of the committee\u2019s speaker recommendation forms.<\/p>\n

And yet, Pan was selected as the 2024 spring commencement speaker, because even though his name did not appear on the committee\u2019s list, Carter made the final call \u2014 a fact that former student committee member Abigail Berk said shows the body\u2019s lack of overall authority.<\/p>\n

Though it\u2019s unclear whether Carter invited each committee-recommended speaker and they all declined or if Pan was truly his first choice, the university president \u2014 who has since presided over two additional commencement speakers in the form of Ohio State professor Angus Fletcher for the summer ceremony and Olympian Stephanie Hightower<\/span><\/a> for the autumn ceremony \u2014 said he takes full accountability for the decision.<\/p>\n

David Meadvin, CEO of One Strategy Group \u2014 a corporate strategy firm that works with individuals on how to deliver effective commencement speeches \u2014 said despite college students hearing handfuls of speeches across their educational careers, commencement speeches stand apart from the rest.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a huge day,\u201d Meadvin said. \u201cIt\u2019s a day that really matters in people\u2019s lives. It\u2019s a day that you will remember for the rest of your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The University Archives keeps both alphabetical<\/span><\/a> and chronological<\/span><\/a> lists of Ohio State\u2019s commencement speakers, dating as far back as 1878. The Lantern\u2019s analysis was done by reviewing the past 50 years of speakers, yielding a pool of 189 distinct speeches.
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”3px||16px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”22px” global_colors_info=”{}”]Of the past 50 years of Ohio State commencement speakers, nearly 83% have been male and just over 80% have been white.<\/p>\n

Just under 30% of speakers have been from the educational field, and roughly 28% from the political field. Of the remaining 82 speakers, just over 14% have been entrepreneurs, just over 13% have been scientists, just over 7% have been journalists and just over 5% have been artists.
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.thelantern.com\/projects\/files\/2025\/01\/Speaker-career.png” title_text=”Speaker career” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” module_alignment=”left” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”||on||||||” text_font_size=”10px” text_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” min_height=”30px” custom_margin=”-26px||0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]The distribution of speaker careers:<\/strong> \u201cEducation\u201d and \u201cpolitics\u201d were the career fields most Ohio State commencement speakers from the past 50 years occupied, each comprising over a quarter of the 189 total speakers, respectively.
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”22px” text_line_height=”1.2em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Since 1974, Ohio State has seen five former or then-current U.S. presidents deliver commencement speeches: Gerald Ford in 1974, George H.W. Bush in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002, Bill Clinton in 2007 and Barack Obama in 2013.<\/p>\n

Obama\u2019s speech<\/span><\/a>, for example \u2014 which fell into the \u201cpolitics\u201d category \u2014 discussed the tumultuous socio-political state of the country at that time and how the graduating class\u2019 generation had demonstrated its love for the United States in its response to national tragedies like mass shootings and the Boston Marathon bombings.<\/p>\n

He encouraged the graduating class to take its citizenship seriously, calling each graduate to engage with their civic duty.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly you can make sure the democracy you inherit is as good as we know it can be,\u201d Obama said. \u201cBut it requires your educated and informed and engaged citizenship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, despite Ohio State representing one of the largest athletic departments in the country, just above 3% of the analyzed speaker pool has worked in the athletic industry.<\/p>\n

Some of these speakers include Ohio State\u2019s former head football coach Wayne Woodrow \u201cWoody\u201d Hayes in 1986, former Ohio State and professional basketball player Clark Kellogg in 1998 and former Ohio State and professional football player Archie Griffin in 2015.<\/p>\n

Every speech from an individual in the athletic industry fell into the \u201clife issues\u201d category, with Hayes\u2019 speech<\/span><\/a> assuring graduates \u201c[they] can out-work anybody\u201d if they try, and Griffin\u2019s speech<\/span><\/a> looking back on \u201cfumbles\u201d he made \u2014 in both football and life \u2014 and encouraging graduates to \u201crelish the tests [they] were given.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wayne Woodrow \u201cWoody\u201d Hayes, former Denison University football player and Ohio State head football coach, delivers a commencement speech to the graduating class on March 21, 1986. Credit: University Archives<\/strong><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

From this pool of nominees, Booker said the committee considers every single speaker submitted. He said each committee member submits their own individual ranking of the final contenders before the average scores across the entire committee are calculated. The committee then meets to discuss and rank the submissions as a group, he said.<\/p>\n

Once the committee\u2019s list of recommendations is finalized, university spokesperson Ben Johnson said in an email the list can also be considered by the committee when deciding speakers for the years to come.<\/p>\n

In other words, once a person has been nominated, their name can remain in the candidate pool for multiple years, even without receiving any additional nominations.<\/p>\n

After producing the finalized list, Booker said it is sent to the Office of the President \u2014 at this point, the committee is uninvolved in the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the committee is charged with developing a recommended slate of potential speakers, the Office of the President makes the final decision to match potential speakers with spring, summer or autumn commencement based on a variety of factors, including speaker availability,\u201d Booker said.<\/p>\n

When asked how much sway the committee has on the final speaker, Berk, the 2023 committee\u2019s Undergraduate Student Government representative, said \u201cnone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI might be a bit jaded, [but] I don\u2019t know that the committee really has any weight unless the president doesn\u2019t have any other ideas,\u201d said Berk, also a 2023 Ohio State graduate in biomedical science.<\/p>\n

For example, Berk said she personally speculates Patrick Gelsinger, then-CEO of technology company Intel, was selected as the 2022 spring commencement speaker by then-university President Kristina M. Johnson due to his $100 million investment in partnerships with educational institutions like Ohio State.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if that was ever suggested, but like, it was pretty clear, \u2018Hey, you gave us a really big donation, now you get to speak at commencement,\u2019\u201d Berk said.<\/p>\n

University spokesperson Ben Johnson denied this correlation.<\/p>\n

\u201cPatrick Gelsinger was an exciting choice because it had recently been announced that Intel would be building in central Ohio, but there was no quid pro quo related to a gift or anything of that nature,\u201d Ben Johnson said.<\/p>\n

Though it\u2019s unclear whether Gelsinger was under committee consideration prior to 2019, his name does not appear on any committee recommendation records from 2019-22.<\/p>\n

In this spirit, Berk said the president has no requirement to reach out to the nominees on the committee\u2019s list.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no back and forth communication of, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re thinking of doing this person, they were [or] were not on your list, here [are] our reasons why,\u2019\u201d Berk said. \u201cWe send out suggestions and that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though Berk said she thinks the committee is effective in theory, the way it currently functions feels \u201cperformative.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was quite frustrated to find out that our suggestions really were purely suggestions because I don\u2019t think I was really super aware of that before we started, and maybe even throughout deliberations,\u201d Berk said.<\/p>\n

Berk said these frustrations are only amplified by the amount of time and effort committee members put into drafting their recommendation list.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really sat there and deliberated and took it very, very seriously,\u201d Berk said. \u201cSo, it was a little frustrating when it really is just a suggestion, and it kind of feels like we wasted some time going through all this when it\u2019s not really taken super seriously by the president\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though Berk had graduated by the time Pan spoke at the 2024 commencement ceremony, she said she was still surprised to learn about Pan\u2019s speech.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think my sense is the university just has different criteria for who they’re looking for,\u201d Pan said. \u201cAnd I guess [last] year they wanted alumni.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe hear about the handful of major celebrities who give commencement speeches every year \u2014 you know, there will be five or six commencement speeches that are really remarkable each year, and typically, they\u2019re delivered by a major elected official or a major celebrity,\u201d Meadvin said. \u201cSometimes, they\u2019re known for being controversial, sometimes \u2014 occasionally \u2014 they\u2019re known for being insightful; often, they\u2019re just known for being delivered by someone interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

For many, an upsetting component of Pan\u2019s speech was his endorsement of Bitcoin, especially since Carter sits on the Board of Directors for Bitcoin miner TeraWulf, Inc. Though online critics speculated a connection between Carter\u2019s cryptocurrency affiliation and Pan\u2019s speaker selection, Pan repeatedly rejected any sort of correlation.<\/p>\n

In fact, Pan said he didn\u2019t even anticipate mentioning Bitcoin when he first received his speaker invitation letter from the president\u2019s office March 8, 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time I ever publicly ever shared anything about Bitcoin \u2014 I looked on my Instagram \u2014 was on March 2,\u201d Pan said. \u201cSo, I highly doubt that in the course of a week, somebody noticed an Instagram story \u2014 by the way, this is not a post, this was like an Instagram story \u2014 [and] they figured out that I would mention Bitcoin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carter has maintained he \u201chad no idea\u201d about Pan\u2019s Bitcoin affiliation and said he personally owns no Bitcoin. He also said most university presidents, such as former Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson<\/span><\/a>, serve on company boards, which doesn\u2019t pose an issue unless it\u2019s in conflict with the ongoings of the university.<\/p>\n

As of Jan. 14, Carter said he has officially selected a speaker for this year\u2019s spring commencement ceremony. When asked whether this timeline was typical \u2014 considering Pan\u2019s selection wasn\u2019t publicly announced until April 2024 \u2014 Carter said the timing of his presidential tenure officially beginning at the start of last year may have played a role.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do think it had something to do with my timing for showing up, that they wanted to make sure that I got in the seat, got comfortable,\u201d Carter said. \u201cWe were talking about that within the first couple weeks of me being here, I had a lot of questions about the same process that you\u2019re asking about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless of this factor, Carter said it can be generally challenging to solidify commencement speakers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really hard to land these speakers,\u201d Carter said. \u201cWe don\u2019t pay our speakers; most really top-flight universities do, so that can sometimes limit you. When you\u2019re trying to get the right, best speakers, the further out you can do that planning, the better, and sometimes you can lock them in early.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.thelantern.com\/projects\/files\/2025\/01\/gordon.jpg” title_text=”gordon” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”98%” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”||on||||||” text_font_size=”10px” text_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”left” min_height=”30px” custom_margin=”-26px||0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”1px|50px|0px|50px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Then-Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee delivers a commencement speech to the graduating class on June 14, 1991. Credit: University Archives<\/strong><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was really where [Pan] went wrong,\u201d Meadvin said. \u201cNo one, I think, came away from that speech feeling like he said anything that was valuable to them \u2014 he just talked a lot about himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to a rough 10-minute time limit, Pan said the committee gave him a few guidelines when it came to drafting his speech, particularly when it came to the music.<\/p>\n

Pan said though the committee \u201cthought a more traditional experience would be better,\u201d he insisted upon having music because of a past event he had been part of at the Mershon Auditorium in 2018 with incoming freshmen, which Pan said went well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it would be really special,\u201d Pan said. \u201cEspecially for many of the students who maybe didn\u2019t have a high school graduation, I thought, \u2018Hey, this could be really special, to have some music.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Pan said he, as opposed to the university, takes full responsibility for \u201cwanting to do something different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of my thinking at the time was to really have an impact, sometimes you have to do something a little different,\u201d Pan said. \u201cIn hindsight, I don\u2019t know if I would have done it the way I did, but in the moment, I thought, \u2018Hey, it worked before, maybe it\u2019ll work again.\u2019 But I think it\u2019s very different [for] incoming freshmen versus outgoing [at] graduation, so that was something I learned myself: Just because something worked in one setting or one situation doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s going to necessarily work in a different situation.\u201d
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px||5px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.thelantern.com\/projects\/files\/2025\/01\/peter-jay.jpg” title_text=”peter jay” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”39px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”||on||||||” text_font_size=”10px” text_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”left” min_height=”30px” custom_margin=”-26px||0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”0px|108px|0px|108px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]Then-British Ambassador to the United States Peter Jay delivers the commencement speech to the graduating class on June 9, 1978. Credit: University Archives<\/strong><\/span><\/i>
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”22px” custom_padding=”26px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]To this point, Meadvin said commencement speeches are \u201cone of the few speeches left in society that are meant to be somewhat formal,\u201d and attendees find importance in that tradition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that commencement speeches need to be respectful of the moment and the institution and within that box,\u201d Meadvin said. \u201cI think there\u2019s room for creativity, but I think that a lot of people reacted the way they did to [Pan\u2019s speech] because it felt not only off-key but sort of disrespectful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond preliminary guidelines, Pan said the speech-writing process was largely hands-off. He said he had to submit the speech roughly a week before the ceremony so it could be entered into the closed-captioning system, but the content itself received no university input.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Pan said he felt supported by the university, but acknowledged that the time between his invitation to speak and the ceremony itself was \u201cpretty chaotic.\u201d
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”31px||13px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”22px” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]\u201cIt was a pretty short amount of time between March and May,\u201d Pan said. \u201cI\u2019ve heard other people say, oftentimes, people are given a bit more time to write a speech, for example. So, it was only a couple months, and it was also a pretty chaotic time on campus, so I think there was a lot going on with various folks that I was involved with.\u201d<\/p>\n

The end of the spring semester saw many campus-wide protests pertaining to the war in Gaza. The controversial subject matter of such demonstrations is another aspect of Pan\u2019s speech that some spectators criticized.<\/p>\n

Though he went back and forth on whether or not to bring up the war, Pan said his efforts to bring together the Israeli and Palestinian communities around campus moved him to ultimately include it in his speech.<\/p>\n

Looking back, however, he said he may not have made this same decision.
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.thelantern.com\/projects\/files\/2025\/01\/glenn.jpg” title_text=”glenn” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-15px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”||on||||||” text_font_size=”10px” text_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”left” min_height=”30px” custom_margin=”-26px||0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”0px|108px|0px|108px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]Then-Ohio Sen. John Glenn delivers a commencement speech to the graduating class on June 8, 1984. Credit: University Archives<\/strong><\/span><\/i>
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”4px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”22px” text_line_height=”1.2em” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]\u201cMy point was, \u2018Hey, let me share some new ideas,\u2019 and of course, with new ideas, some people like it, some people don\u2019t,\u201d Pan said. \u201cAnd maybe a commencement speech wasn\u2019t the right place to necessarily be so contrarian, but I tried, and I hope folks don\u2019t take any ill intent from this by any means because everything I said, I genuinely believe in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meadvin said it\u2019s extremely difficult for a commencement speaker to be remembered in a positive light if they\u2019re not a \u201cbig name.\u201d In this sense, he said Pan achieved his goal of being remembered \u2014 but not in the way he likely desired.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think if people don\u2019t know who you are, the bar or the threshold to clear to be memorable is higher,\u201d Meadvin said. \u201cIt can be done, but you\u2019ve really got to come with something pretty extraordinary. Now, Chris [Pan] did become memorable; he wasn\u2019t a name that probably most people at OSU knew coming in, and now they do know his name \u2014 not for the right reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Berk said she thinks it\u2019s more important for graduates to remember feeling pride and excitement on their graduation day, as opposed to a particularly memorable speech.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do find it to be slightly selfish to want to be memorable, perhaps at the expense of the graduates\u2019 feelings,\u201d Berk said. \u201cI\u2019m sure that that\u2019s not what he meant for it to be at all, but I do think that the point of commencement is supposed to be to celebrate the people graduating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meadvin said though he can\u2019t speak for Pan, he believes \u201chis heart was in the right place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI get it, the desire to stand out and to not do the expected thing \u2014 that\u2019s the right approach and it comes from a good place,\u201d Meadvin said. \u201cHe wanted to be memorable, he wanted to be inspiring. He wanted not to be boring or average. I just think that the execution took that in the wrong direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even so, Meadvin said he suspects a certain portion of the backlash to Pan\u2019s speech is due to \u201cthe culture we\u2019re in, where everyone is sort of very quick to criticize.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom what I\u2019ve read about [Pan\u2019s] speech, it was certainly unusual,\u201d Meadvin said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a speech I would advise, but it wasn\u2019t the worst and it wasn\u2019t the most politically controversial.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Pan said he apologizes to those who were upset by his speech but also appreciates feedback from those who liked it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just hope folks keep an open mind and practice some forgiveness if they were upset,\u201d Pan said. \u201cAlso, just keep an open mind that maybe it wasn\u2019t necessarily what they expected, but maybe there was something we can all [learn from]. I\u2019ve certainly been reflecting, and I\u2019ve certainly been processing and learning from it as well myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking forward, Carter said he thinks the Ohio State community will be excited about the spring 2025 speaker.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been a little bit more thoughtful about who we\u2019ve asked to come and speak, and you\u2019ve seen that in our last two commencements,\u201d Carter said. \u201cI think the speaker that we\u2019re going to have this spring is going to be highly celebrated, people are going to be very excited about who we\u2019re bringing here.\u201d
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.thelantern.com\/projects\/files\/2025\/01\/mccain.jpg” title_text=”mccain” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”87%” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”||on||||||” text_font_size=”10px” text_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”left” min_height=”30px” custom_margin=”-26px||0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”1px|50px|0px|50px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]Presidential candidate and then-Senator John McCain was the commencement speaker for the graduation ceremony on June 11, 2006. Credit: University Archives<\/strong><\/span><\/i>
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.thelantern.com\/projects\/files\/2025\/01\/yvette.jpg” title_text=”yvette” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”87%” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”||on||||||” text_font_size=”10px” text_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”left” min_height=”30px” custom_margin=”-26px||0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”1px|50px|0px|50px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

(Center left) Yvette McGee-Brown, the first African-American female justice on the Ohio Supreme Court and Ohio State\u2019s commencement speaker for the March 22, 2009 ceremony, alongside (center right) then-university President E. Gordon Gee. Credit: University Archives<\/strong><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”1px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_heading title=”Methodology details” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” title_text_align=”center” title_text_color=”#BC1A1A” title_font_size=”42px” module_alignment=”left” custom_padding=”||0px|||” title_text_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”22px” text_line_height=”1.2em” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

The University Archives possesses scanned copies of most commencement speeches, which were reviewed for this analysis to determine the general subject matter of each speech. Assuming all speeches touch on \u201clife issues\u201d in some capacity, only speeches that focused entirely on \u201clife issues\u201d \u2014 and not one of the other categories \u2014 were labeled as such.<\/p>\n

A speech that falls into the \u201clife issues\u201d category largely consists of either advice or a call to action from the speaker to the graduating class. The \u201cNA\u201d speech subject category refers to speeches that were not publicly available on the university\u2019s webpage for analysis.<\/p>\n

Note that former Ohio Sen. John H. Glenn and former university President E. Gordon Gee each delivered commencement speeches twice in the past 50 years. They were each counted twice in the analysis, meaning there were 187 distinct speakers, but 189 in total.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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