Clinton Commencements Commence

What happens when graduating seniors get to choose their college commencement speaker and pick former Secretary of State Colin Powell? They might get Sen. Hillary Clinton instead.

That, according to the College Republicans (CRs) at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, N. Y., is essentially what happened this year at their school. “Senator Clinton is a national and global leader, focusing on issues of national security, innovation and science, and education,” RPI President Shirley Ann Jackson said in March of this year. “She has given important focus to regional economic development, paying particular attention to upstate New York concerns.”

Sen. Clinton will also receive an honorary degree from the school. The RPI CRs allege that New York’s junior senator was not the first choice of the class of ’05.

“Following an elaborate selection process by the student government; which saw the matter put to a vote, in which Senator Clinton did not fair [sic] well,” the RPI CRs relate, “The results of that vote were compiled and the names of the ten most desired speakers, which included Colin Powell, Steve Jobs and Conan O’Brien, were delivered to Dr. Jackson.”

“Hillary Clinton was not on the list of speakers delivered to President Shirley Ann Jackson.”

Here, according to the RPI CRs, is the exact order of finish on the roster sent to President Jackson:

1. Conan O’Brien

2. Will Ferrell

3. Samuel L. Jackson

4. Steve Jobs

5. Chris Rock

6. Colin Powell

7. Bill Gates

8. Michael Jordan

9. Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin

10.Ben Stein

The RPI CRs say that Dr. Jackson shows up on the list of contributors to Sen. Clinton’s campaigns. Indeed, the CRs say that she is the Senator’s biggest donor at the school.

“The RPI College Republicans were outraged to learn today that President Shirley Ann Jackson has been the largest contributor at RPI to Senator Hillary Clinton’s campaigns, making multiple donations of hundreds of dollars each over the past five years,” according to the campus club. “These revelations of political contributions have served to reinforce the already widespread speculation amongst RPI students and faculty that Dr. Jackson’s decision to invite Senator Clinton was politically motivated.”

Dr. Jackson’s ties to the Clinton family go back further than the former first lady’s Senate campaign forays. The distinguished scientist also served in the administration of former President Bill Clinton as chair of the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

In going through the revolving door from the Clinton White House to academia, the former NRC chair joins a growing legion of public officials that boasts a greater number of veterans now working in the Ivory Tower than perhaps any in history. As we reported last year, there are more former cabinet officials from the Clinton years now working in higher education than there are former department heads from the last two Republican presidential administrations in the Ivory Tower.

Academia’s devotion to the Clintons is mutual. Marymount College in Manhattan lost its status as a Catholic school when it invited the Senator to send off its grads in May. The Senator’s pro-choice position on abortion runs counter to Catholic teaching.

For their part, RPI’s CRs are responding to the Senator’s impending visit with what they call “12 days of Hillary” that began on May 12th. The “12 days” feature events such as the release of green balloons outside the student union that are meant to symbolize the campaign contributions given by RPI’s president to the Senator’s election and reelection efforts.

Malcolm A. Kline is the executive director of Accuracy in Academia.