2008 Woodie Awards
Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 5/16/08 Section: News
Online Update | Bloomberg, Gutmann address politics and activism at Commencement
Juliette Mullin
1:52 a.m. - May 20, 2008
Standing in the middle of a sunny Franklin Field and before a sea of excited students in black robes and mortarboard caps, University President Amy Gutmann started out the 252nd Commencement Ceremony by warning the graduates that, before receiving their diplomas, "you must prove yourselves worthy of your Penn degrees by performing one last task: Endure our speeches."
But despite the light-hearted start, the speakers of Monday's ceremony went on to address politics and activism in their remarks to the graduating class.
Commencement speaker and Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg centered his speech on the upcoming elections.
"You've come at age when no one can say my vote doesn't matter because the election of 2000 proved that every vote counts - or at least every vote that didn't have a hanging chad, but that's another story," he said.
Though the owner of Bloomberg LLP told the crowd that he had yet to decide who he would to vote for in the upcoming election, he offered insight into what he believed American voters were looking for in their president.
"People want someone who … can mobilize both parties to confront the big, long term problems that they have so carefully avoided -- health care, immigration, social security, poverty, infrastructure, budget deficits, public education, you name it," he said.
In his speech, Bloomberg outlined four "virtues to lead by:" independence, honesty, accountability and immigration. He stressed that these were the qualities Americans should look for in their choice of candidate.
Mixing his serious message with jokes about everything from his speculated run for presidency to his cameo in the Sex and the City movie that was cut in production - "Turns out they wanted more sex and less city" - Bloomberg received much warm applause and a standing ovation for his speech.
In a similar vein, Gutmann's address highlighted the activism of this generation and Penn students in particular.
Standing in the middle of a sunny Franklin Field and before a sea of excited students in black robes and mortarboard caps, University President Amy Gutmann started out the 252nd Commencement Ceremony by warning the graduates that, before receiving their diplomas, "you must prove yourselves worthy of your Penn degrees by performing one last task: Endure our speeches."
But despite the light-hearted start, the speakers of Monday's ceremony went on to address politics and activism in their remarks to the graduating class.
Commencement speaker and Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg centered his speech on the upcoming elections.
"You've come at age when no one can say my vote doesn't matter because the election of 2000 proved that every vote counts - or at least every vote that didn't have a hanging chad, but that's another story," he said.
Though the owner of Bloomberg LLP told the crowd that he had yet to decide who he would to vote for in the upcoming election, he offered insight into what he believed American voters were looking for in their president.
"People want someone who … can mobilize both parties to confront the big, long term problems that they have so carefully avoided -- health care, immigration, social security, poverty, infrastructure, budget deficits, public education, you name it," he said.
In his speech, Bloomberg outlined four "virtues to lead by:" independence, honesty, accountability and immigration. He stressed that these were the qualities Americans should look for in their choice of candidate.
Mixing his serious message with jokes about everything from his speculated run for presidency to his cameo in the Sex and the City movie that was cut in production - "Turns out they wanted more sex and less city" - Bloomberg received much warm applause and a standing ovation for his speech.
In a similar vein, Gutmann's address highlighted the activism of this generation and Penn students in particular.
Be the first to comment on this story