Former Utah governor and U.S. ambassador to China and Singapore Jon Huntsman Jr. will deliver the University of Wisconsin-Madison 2014 spring commencement address, according to a Wednesday statement.
Huntsman was a staff assistant for President Ronald Reagan and has since worked under four U.S. presidents. He is also regarded as a business leader and serves on boards for Ford Motor Company, Caterpillar Corporation, the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation, the University of Pennsylvania and Huntsman Corporation., a multibillion dollar chemical company founded by his father and formerly led by Huntsman.
Chancellor Rebecca Blank said in the release she is excited about the selection of Huntsman and is eager to hear the advice he has to offer the graduating class.
Similarly, senior class vice president Andrew Bulovsky, who helped select and recommend the speaker as part of the senior class officer team, said in the statement he hopes Huntsman will be able to speak on issues of “finding common ground with others.”
"When selecting a commencement speaker, we looked for a respected leader with a positive track record of public service, someone who has shown a commitment to bipartisanship,” Bulovsky said in the statement.
The commencement ceremony will be held at Camp Randall Stadium May 17 at noon and will kick off a new tradition of combined ceremonies for Bachelor’s and Master’s degree candidates.
