Commencement speaker selection draws mixed reviews

In early April, the announcement of CEO Curtis Carlson as the speaker at the 2011 commencement was met with mixed responses from seniors.

Senior Nicole LePere said she had heard Carlson's name mentioned around campus recently, but had to look him up online to know exactly who he was.

"He is more than just a CEO of a tiny company, which is what I heard," she said, looking at his Wikipedia page. "He has a lot of experience. I'm glad to know who he is now and I am excited to hear him speak."

According to SRI International, where Carlson works, he became president and chief executive officer of the company in 1998. He obtained his B.S. in physics from Worcester Polytechnic and his M.S. and doctorate degrees in geographical fluid dynamics from Rutgers.

Brian Eckert, the director of media and public relations at the university, spoke of Carlson with high praise, saying that his work, including the leading the creation of high definition television, has significantly moved communications forward around the world.

As well as leading various teams developing HDTV and a system of assessment of broadcast image quality, both of which won him Emmy awards, he is also author of "Innovation: The Five Disciplines for Creating What Customers Want."

Katy Schwartz, who is also a member of the class of 2011, said she thought that one of the students' main concerns was not knowing who Carlson was with some hearing about him for the first time when being told that he was to be the speaker.

"I have no clue who he is," she said. "The name sounds really familiar though.

"Ideally, it would have been nice to have an alum speak or someone with a connection to the school. But, I will remain open-minded."

Eckert explained the process behind getting Carlson to campus.

"Provost Steve Allred chairs a faculty committee that selects the main commencement speaker," he said. "He meets with the committee and then, based on the members' input, makes a recommendation" to President Edward Ayers.

When asked who the other choices for speaker were, Eckert exercised caution in giving out the names.

"I don't know whether the deliberations of the committee are public," he said, "for the obvious reasons of courtesy to the other speaker prospects."

In a poll on the Collegian website, 73 percent of the people who voted said that they wished the school would have picked someone else; only 8 percent said they were in favor of him and 9 percent said they did not care. The poll was not conducted scientifically.

"Even though I've never heard of him, he has experience and has obviously done something right," LePere said. "I am open to any insights he may have on how to be successful in the business world."

Said Eckert: "Although he might not be a household name, he is clearly one of the great minds of our time. Personally, I feel he is an excellent choice."

Contact reporter Charlotte Brackett at charlotte.brackett@richmond.edu