In a recent column by Leslie Gornstein at E! Online, Denise from Boston writes in to ask “Why do universities think students want to hear celebrities make commencement speeches? And do the stars get paid?”

Now, I’m no E! Online expert, but I’d venture a guess that universities think students want to hear celebrities because students want to hear celebrities. I’ve graduated a handful of times in my life, and the only ceremonies I’ve attended were for other people. Graduation ceremonies are a joke. They’re long, boring, and barely even of interest to the parents of the children walking across the stage. What better way to spice things up than to hire a celebrity to keep everybody pumped?

Leslie has some dirt to dish on the topic. As it turns out, Oprah was paid a fairly meagre $5,000 for her recent speech at Stanford. Many stars charge as much as $50,000, plus extra perks like an honorary degree (I’d rather have the money, personally) or use of a private jet.

What about J.K. Rowling’s recent speech to the graduates at Harvard? As it turns out, Harvard doesn’t pay its speakers. I guess it’s enough of an honor to be a Harvard speaker without any moolah. (I’d demand my own buffet table if I was speaking for free. It’s not like J.K. Rowling needs this to put on her resumé.)

And, as I suspected, the celebrities are there because students demand it.

As for why these celebrities keep getting recruited, blame the students. Last year’s Stanford commencement featured Dana Gioia, an accomplished poet who has won several awards. Students promptly complained Gioia wasn’t famous enough.

“Unlike last year’s highly criticized speaker choice,” a student reporter wrote triumphantly in a February edition of the Stanford Daily, “this year’s commencement speaker will not be suffering from a lack of star power.”

Ultimately, would you rather have an educational commencement speaker or a famous one? Be honest with yourself, and I think you’ll understand why some colleges pay $50,000 for speakers who dropped out of grade school.

Popularity: 2% [?]