With college graduation on the horizon, it won’t be long before graduates and their families will be subjected to platitudes from guest speakers (“The Commencement Address That Can Never Be Delivered,” Commentary, March). I’ve never really understood why the tradition persists in light of the growing sophistication of young people today. But it does.
So it’s time to ask why. Because those in attendance are there only to see students receive their degrees, what can a speaker possibly say that hasn’t been heard numerous times before? What I’d like to see is a speaker who raised realistic questions about the value of the degrees being offered.
That will never happen, of course, since the time and money far exceed the worth of the sheepskin. The truth is that degree inflation has called into question the four years spent on campus. Actually, college is merely the most convenient place to learn how to learn. It is not an absolute determinant.
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