Frank Bruni to speak at Commencement

New York Times Columnist Frank Bruni is set to speak at the University Commencement Ceremony on May 24. Bruni, who has worked at The Times since 1995, has taken on diverse positions from chief restaurant critic to White House press correspondent in the early days of the Bush presidency. His column covers a variety of topics, including higher education, politics and LGBT+ rights.

In an interview with The Hub, University President Ronald J. Daniels expressed enthusiasm about Bruni’s upcoming arrival.

“With his trademark blend of intelligence, analysis, and wit, he helps us to see the humanity in one another even as he urges us to embrace open debate,” Daniels said. “At this moment, there is no better message to the Class of 2017 and our entire Hopkins community.”

The first openly gay op-ed columnist of The Times, Bruni has been an advocate of LGBT+ rights and was granted the Randy Shilts Award by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his efforts last year.

Bruni has also drawn acclaim for his memoir Born Round: A Story of Family, Food and Ferocious Appetite, which discusses his struggles with bulimia. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be, an exploration of the college admissions process.

Senior Alex Fine, an admirer of Bruni, looks forward to his speech.

“As someone who hopes to pursue writing as a career, I find it inspiring that Hopkins has chosen to invite a journalist to speak at commencement, as opposed to the plethora of CEO’s and medical professionals selected in the past five years,” he wrote in an email to The News-Letter.

Although he acknowledged that some may be disappointed that the University did not get a more high-profile speaker,  Senior Daniel Friedman felt positive about Bruni.

“I think there were also people dissatisfied, thinking that with Hopkins and their top 10 ranking and all those other measures, we should have ‘star speakers’: we should get the Bidens, or Ellen DeGeneres,” Friedman said. “I think Frank Bruni is a good commencement speaker because he’ll be able to give at least some compelling speech to mark the end of our undergraduate careers.”

Junior Jonathan Smith pointed out that more well-known speakers did not necessarily give quality speeches.

“I think he’ll take the speech and event more seriously than Spike Lee did,” Smith wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “[Bruni] doesn’t bring the same ‘wow’ factor or name recognition that I think a lot of people would have liked, but I think he’s a safe bet by the University after last year’s selection didn’t work out.”

However, he wanted to see the University take more risks.

“I would love to see the University be more adventurous,” he wrote.

Senior Liam Haviv expressed disappointment with the University’s commencement speeches overall.

“I have read lots of Mr. Bruni’s writing, and while he is incredibly talented, and I am eager to hear what I feel will be nothing short of a beautiful speech, I can’t help but feel a little frustrated at some of the more recognizable speakers our peer institutions attract,” Liam wrote in an email to The News-Letter.

Senior Laura Marlowe feels that Bruni’s various experiences as a journalist would make him an eloquent speaker.

“The administration chose him because they wanted to make sure they have someone who was well spoken, well-written and would have a meaningful commencement speech as opposed to what happened last year,” she said.

Senior Sara Shah feels that Bruni is interesting as a pioneer in the field of journalism.

“Bruni is a visionary in his field, and I think he will give a wonderful speech,” Shah wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “People gifted with words usually do.”

Some seniors like Sung Park, while lacking familiarity with Bruni, feel that he would be able to offer an appropriate closure for their undergraduate experience.

“I’m not too familiar with Frank Bruni, but I think that contents of the speech itself should be more significant than who the speaker is,” Park wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “People tend to associate the fame of the commencement speaker with the level of prestige or pride for the university, but I think it’s more important to have a speaker that cares about the ceremony itself and that it becomes a memorable experience for the graduating seniors.”

Fine agrees that Bruni is suited to speak on controversial subjects.

“One of the things I most admire about Bruni’s columns is his ability to inspire people without letting his words  devolve into demagoguery,” Fine wrote. “In such a heated political climate, it is important that we not lose the ability to debate amongst ourselves in a respectful manner, even when we disagree with our colleagues.”