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 statement Wednesday.
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 himself.
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.
Senior class Treasurer Sarah Neibart said she approves and supports the selection of Huntsman as someone who can promote class unity.
“We just went out into the university for the last four years and had our different paths, and commencement this year is gonna be really a time that we’re all coming together,” Neibart said. “I think it’s really important to have someone who is strong, but not divisive and having someone who’s bipartisan kind of really fits that description.”
She added most student feedback has been positive, though there have been some mixed reactions in part because of some people’s lack of familiarity with the speaker.
“There has been a little negative feedback, but I think when people find out a little bit more about the governor a lot of that will be alleviated,” Neibart said.
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.
