Former President Bill Clinton will deliver the Class Day address on June 5, Class of 2006 president Chris Lloyd '06 announced Monday afternoon.
"The Class of 2006 has chosen President Clinton to be this year's Class Day Speaker because of his extensive career in public service," Lloyd said in an email to his fellow seniors.
"These experiences along with his perspectives as a parent will surely inspire our class and family members as we gather together to celebrate our Princeton experiences."
When presented with the chance to have Clinton speak, the three Class Day chairs — seniors Harrison Frist, Lauren Bush and Shaun Callaghan — decided to capitalize on the opportunity.
Because Frist, the son of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist '74 (R-Tenn.) and Bush, the niece of President Bush, were chosen to lead the search, it was widely expected that a highly-visible individual would speak at the event.
Lloyd, who helped the Class Day chairs organize the event, said the chairs had been interested in securing Clinton since the beginning of the year, after soliciting speaker suggestions from seniors.
"We thought that he would have great insight not only for the students graduating but for the parents attending," Lloyd said. "He's known to be an engaging speaker so we were confident when we invited him that he would give a really great speech."
Callaghan defined Clinton as one of the influential politicians in students' lifetimes.
"I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who's shaped our times more than Bill Clinton," Callaghan said. "He's a president that transcends politics."
Most seniors, including Republicans, reacted positively to the prospect of hearing Clinton.
"Regardless of how you feel about him politically, it's pretty cool to get an ex-president to come and speak," Scott Grzenczyk '06 said. "I'm really excited because I know that he's an incredibly articulate person and an incredible public speaker."
Class Day is the second in the series of graduation events this June. The Class Day ceremony includes the presentation of the class gift, the class history and several academic, athletic and service prizes. The ceremony traditionally features a keynote speaker as well.
"Class Day is an opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements and contributions of students and community members to the university," Lloyd said in an email.
This year, the Class of 2006 broke a three-year trend of choosing celebrity comedians for Class Day speaker. Chevy Chase, Jon Stewart and Jerry Seinfeld gave the addresses in 2005, 2004 and 2003, respectively. Other speakers have included Bill Cosby and former Secretary of State James Baker '52, who spoke as a member of the Class of 2002's grandfather class.
Callaghan said the Class Day chairs were not looking for one specific type of speaker.
"While [the University] has had a string of them, we didn't really want to confine ourselves to the mold of a comedian, especially when comedians are hit or miss," Callaghan explained.
Though most seniors were impressed by this year's choice, some voiced dissatisfaction.
"I'm a little disappointed, I was hoping we would get someone who hasn't spoken here before and who's more relevant to current events," James Behrens '06 said. "I think a lot of people are confused [by the choice] because the committee seemed to be made up of Republicans."
Callaghan said the Class Day chairs considered Clinton's political stance before deciding to invite him as the speaker.
"That was one concern we had initially, that people might object on the basis that he was a Democrat and have a disagreement with his politics," Callaghan said.
But, he added, "It was too great of an opportunity to let slip through the cracks."
Clinton last spoke at the University in October 2000, where he delivered the keynote address at a two-day academic conference on the Progressive Era. Four years earlier, he addressed an audience of about 10,000 at the University's 249th Commencement.
Original URL: http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2006/04/18/15263/