This post was written by Lauren French and Sarah Scire.
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel
Update, 3:50 p.m. Emanuel will be the Commencement speaker, the University confirmed in a news release. Jeanne Narum, president of Project Kaleidoscope and the Independent College Office, will receive an honorary Doctor of Science, and GW alumnus and sculptor John Safer will receive an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts.
In the release, University President Steven Knapp said the three honorees “exemplify the University’s ideals of excellence, leadership and service.”
Original Post. Rahm Emanuel, chief of staff to President Barack Obama, will be this year’s Commencement speaker, two sources directly involved in the keynote speaker selection process told The Hatchet Tuesday evening.
Nothing has been confirmed by the University or Emanuel’s office, and both sources asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. A source provided The Hatchet with an e-mail from Senior Vice President and General Counsel Beth Nolan to the Special Advisory Committee on Commencement Speakers stating Emanuel had accepted University President Steven Knapp’s invitation to speak at the ceremony on May 17.
University spokeswoman Tracy Schario declined to confirm Emanuel was the speaker in an interview shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday. Schario did not deny that the former Illinois congressman had accepted the invitation, however.
“I can’t confirm anything related to the Commencement speaker yet,” Schario said.
One committee member, Associate Vice President of Student and Academic Support Services Peter Konwerski, said in an interview Tuesday evening that he knew they had been considering someone in the Obama administration, but he had not yet read Nolan’s e-mail. Konwerski added Wednesday morning that the committee had nominated Emanuel, among other candidates, for Knapp’s approval.
The White House press office did not immediately return requests for comment as of Wednesday morning.
Eric Roper contributed to this report.
Wow. I half-expected Trachtenberg.
Niiiiiceee.
I can get down with this
Seriously? What, was Bill Ayers booked?
Why don’t we have Bill Ayers or any of Obama’s other thug friends speak? How about Mussolini, he was a socialist too.
I was hoping for the bush twins and a bottle of brandy
Great choice! This will be the first commencement with a 7-second delay.
hes so hot
Can the Hatchet still consider it breaking news when WRGW broke the story a full 10 hours before the Hatchet?
Lousy,
This story was originally posted at 3 a.m.
Oh heaven help us. @AreYouKidding – maybe Ayers was booked but I’m sure they could try for the good Rev. Wright. Or maybe Tim Geithner….all are equally destructive, just in different areas.
@Steve – Mussolini is dead. And he was a Fascist.
How long til the CRs freak out? T-minus…5..4..
Seriously? Of all the terrorists in the world, THIS is who they bring? a person who served with the IDF and the son of an Irgun terrorist? I’ve come to expect this of GWU – it’s very unfortunate. I regret coming to this institution at all.
The only person who could have been a worse choice would have been Al Gore.
Im sooo excited what a hottie!!!!
GW students complaining. No wonder the sun rose in the east today.
Wow, talk about people having high standards… GW could have brought in 5 former presidents to speak at the commencement and someone would have a problem with it. So what, you may not agree with him, but hey, you could have some no-name person. Deal with it.
what a bummer couldnt they have gotten someone more exiting. al gore would have been better
he’s the 2nd most powerful person in the world. better speaker than i expected.
5-1 he swears.
3-2 he jokes about his potty mouth.
Eric,
Most students were alerted by e-mail blast at 11:21 a.m., not by refreshing Hatchet website every minute as I’m sure you wish. Story posted at 3 a.m. fine, is it still BREAKING NEWS as stated in e-mail blast if you sent it out 8 hours after you posted, and 10 hours after WRGW posts it?
Either way WRGW had it two hours before the Hatchet. It’s obnoxious for the Hatchet to think they are at the front of every story.
“2nd most pwerful person in the world”? So, where is our Vice President these days?
Jim,
We can all read and understand the Constitution. This isn’t 8th grade civics class. He has the President’s ear. Oftentimes the CoS is with the President far more and has the attention of the President far more than the VP. We’re talking about how politics play themselves out in modern times, not about the stuff an 8th grade textbook tells us.
stop complaining…when I graduated in 2007 we didn’t even get a speaker. just because you don’t agree with his politics doesn’t mean he won’t have something of value to say. keep an open mind and just be grateful that you get a speaker.
SINCE WHEN DOES SERVING IN THE IDF MAKE YOU A TERRORIST, A-HOLE?
Offended? You’re offended?
Calling the IDF terrorists is the same thing as calling American soldiers terrorists and I just want you to think about that for a minute.
I was thrilled to see that Rahm Immanuel was selected as our commencement speeker, not because of his politics or his social/ethnic/religious affiliation— but because he is an extremely successful man, who is the Chief of Staff in the WHITE HOUSE.
I think you should be ashamed of yourself, Offended. I wonder why you regret coming to GW so much?
“I think you should be ashamed of yourself, Offended. I wonder why you regret coming to GW so much?”
Because GW is full of tool bags like you that get wet over Rahm Emmanuel
This is just another indication as to why Eric Roper sucks
What About Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at commencement? He talks! Plus, Race to Witch Mountain is going to be huge!
Swab thar poopdeck!
“Because GW is full of tool bags like you that get wet over Rahm Emmanuel”
- EXACTLY!! and over David Horowitz, The Israeli foreign minister, etc.