Coming full circle, Dean Fred to deliver Baccalaureate speech

Since 1972, the University's Baccalaureate speaker has generally come from outside the immediate university community, but breaking with tradition a committee consisting of students and faculty selected Dean of Admissions Fred Hargadon to speak at this year's ceremony.

The senior class officers were responsible for narrowing down the field of Baccalaureate speaker candidates.

"We had opened up ideas for Class Day speaker and used a lot of the names suggested there in our discussion for the Baccalaureate speaker," said senior class president Catherine Farmer. "For the most part, it was just the officers and the faculty members of the committee that made the decision."

A committee consisting of the senior class officers, associate secretary of the University Ann Halliday, English professor John Fleming GS '63, Dean of Religious Life Thomas Breidenthal and Vice President of Public Affairs Bob Durkee '69 made a recommendation to president Tilghman of three potential speakers.

Tilghman, with ultimate authority on the decision, also agreed to have Hargadon speak at the June 1 ceremony to open graduation festivities.

"I was delighted that the class suggested Dean Hargadon," Tilghman said in an email. "During his tenure as Dean the student body has become more academically gifted, and is composed of students from many states, countries, ethnic groups and socioeconomic classes."

Both Tilghman and Farmer declined to name the other two candidates that made it to the final round of consideration.

Tilghman did, however, mention that a possible reason for Hargadon's selection — breaking the recent tradition of going outside the University for a Baccalaureate speaker — is his retirement at the end of the academic year.

Since the announcement last Thursday in an email to all seniors, reaction has been fairly consistent, with most seniors pleased with the committee's decision.

"I am really excited to hear him speak because he is a person that I respect, and a lot of other people at Princeton also have admiration and respect for him," said Betsy Massopust '03. "He was the one that opened all our college experiences and now he'll close it too — a fitting way to honor the man that enabled all of us to be here."

Other seniors were slightly more ambivalent about the decision, but still overall positive with the selection.

"He was the one to welcome us all in," said Mark Zee '03. "I don't think anybody is going to be surprised about what he says. One of the positives of having him speak is that he is a noncontroversial speaker. We all know Dean Fred will do a great job come June."