Until Oct. 24 students can nominate seniors to deliver this speech at graduation in December.,”Each December and May graduation, seniors have the chance to listen to a peer of their choosing deliver an inspirational reflection of their Marquette years and a sending off filled with inspiration and hope.
Until Oct. 24 students can nominate seniors to deliver this speech at graduation in December. Nomination forms can be picked up in the Marquette Student Government office in the first floor of the Alumni Memorial Union.
Megan Ward, senior speaker coordinator, said the nominees should be students who have taken their Marquette experience to every length possible and have gained a lot from their college years. They should be able to talk about what they have experienced and learned, how that has affected them and give encouragement for the years ahead, Ward said.
After being nominated, the students will be given an application to fill out, if they accept the nomination, which they will have to turn in with a draft of their speech.
Once the applications are in, the job of choosing this senior speaker falls on the members of the Senior Speaker Committee.
This committee is made up of faculty members, students and the senior speaker coordinator.
The four faculty members Ward chose to sit on this year's committee have participated on the committee in previous years: Adjunct Associate Professor of Philosophy the Rev. Wally Stohrer, School of Education Assistant Professor Ellen Eckman, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Lars Olson and Senior Associate Dean of Student Development Stephanie Quade.
These faculty members act as an advising board, as well as sit in on the committee meetings.
Ward said she is in the process of choosing the six to eight students who will sit on the committee.
"I will be speaking to the e-boards of the different colleges, and well as the faculty members on the committee, to see if they have any recommendations," Ward said. "The goal is to have an incredibly diverse group on the committee, between colleges, majors, and organizations. This will ensure that the speaker will reach everyone in the graduating class."
Ward said the coordinator is always a junior because it keeps the committee "more unbiased by giving a little more perspective." However, she seniors are generally the best choice for committee members.
"Juniors can sit on the committee and would probably give a more unbiased opinion," Wade said, "but seniors are best because they will pick someone who they want to hear at graduation, they are more directly affected by the choice."
Once together, this committee reviews the applications and speeches.
The process depends on the number of nominations, which Ward said is normally smaller in December compared to May.
"If there are less than five we will have them come to one of our meetings and actually deliver their speech," Ward said. "If there are more than five, we will have them send in a paper copy and go over it as a committee."
What is the committee looking for in these speeches?
"They should be able to share good memories and encourage their fellow seniors to take what they have learned at Marquette and use it to chase down their futures in the years ahead. It should be a speech of hope that makes their peers smile," Ward said. "We are also looking for clarity of thought, ease of delivery, relatable stories. We want everyone to be able to take something away from it."
More importantly, what are students looking for in these speeches?
Kaelan Ward (not related to Megan), a senior in the College of Communication graduating in December, said she doesn't even know who else is graduating with her. She is currently in her seventh semester and most of her friends won't graduate until May.
"I'd rather have someone good than bad, but I don't put a lot of thought into it," Kaelan said about the speaker.
Their goal is to have the speaker selected by Nov. 12, about a month before graduation. Another selection process will take place next semester for the May graduation.
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