Commence speaking
Many stars have connections to university officials; big names deliver cachet, impress potential donors
Relying on a 25-year-old connection, J. Bonnie Newman, interim president of the University of New Hampshire, zipped off an e-mail to former President George H.W. Bush.
She wrote on Nov. 2 that she "felt compelled to go with the best of the best," so she was inviting him and former President Bill Clinton to speak at today's graduation. Two days later, she scored. Her former boss accepted.
A month later, she had a double coup: Clinton agreed to share the dais.
In nabbing high-profile commencement speakers, sometimes it's all in whom you know. Behind many of the star speakers is a personal tie with a university president, a trustee, or an alumnus.
The big names can deliver a lot of cachet, especially in a college-rich region like New England. Their appearances generate press coverage and impress potential donors. Politicians sometimes seize upon graduations to unveil new policies or stump for office. In New Hampshire, where campaigning for the first-in-the-nation presidential primary is ramping up, US Senator Barack Obama, a Democratic contender, will speak at Southern New Hampshire University today.
"It comes down to the Rolodex," Newman said. "So many people sit through commencement and don't recall who was on the platform. President Bush combined with President Clinton will be memorable."
Among the other star speakers this commencement season: pop star Gloria Estefan and her producer husband Emilio at Berklee College of Music; Madeleine Albright, former secretary of State, at Wellesley College; Bill Gates,
Newman, who began running UNH a year ago, pulled off the star-studded graduation because she is an exceptionally well- connected college president.
She was an assistant to President George H.W. Bush and previously served as an associate personnel director in the Reagan administration. Through the years, she has played golf with Bush, attended his 80th birthday party, and visited him and his wife at their summer home in nearby Kennebunkport.
"For those of us who were privileged to work for President Bush, there is a bond that is truly life long," said Newman, a former executive dean at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. "I'm thrilled but mostly humbled, and I'm so grateful to President Bush for accepting the invitation. I know without his agreement that President Clinton wouldn't have considered this."
To bolster her case with Clinton, she appealed to some "friends of Bill" in New Hampshire, including the state's Supreme Court chief justice, to lobby on her behalf.
Jay Carson, a Clinton spokesman, said the former president was more than happy to accept because of fond memories of campaigning in New Hampshire. Besides, Carson said, Clinton and Bush try to speak together as often as they can. Last year, the pair spoke at Tulane University's commencement in New Orleans, where they did humanitarian work for Hurricane Katrina victims.
But Hillary Clinton's run for the presidency played no role in her husband's decision to speak at UNH, even though she is already crisscrossing the Granite State and other family members may soon follow.
"The relationship between 41 and 42," said Carson, referring to the presidents' order of presidency, "has always transcended politics as they decide what to do and not to do."
Credit Berklee trustee Phil Ramone for wooing the Estefans to graduation. Ramone, a music producer, produced Gloria Estefan's popular Christmas album.
In November, he called Estefan and at first just asked whether she would be on the road in May. Then, he popped the big question: Would she speak at Berklee? She said she was honored and would have to check her schedule first. An hour later, she accepted.
Last week, the Estefans and David Howell Evans, also known as the Edge from the rock band U2, received honorary degrees at Berklee. Inviting the Edge was another trustee, Bill Whelan, a Grammy award winning Irish composer who has worked with U2 on albums.
"You need some role models at graduations," said Ramone, who joined the board three years ago. "An Irish rebel and two Cubans, that's not bad."
Two alumni, now trustees, snatched up Bloomberg for Tufts. Jonathan M. Tisch, chairman and chief executive officer of Loews Hotels, was one of them. But Bloomberg's office said repeated requests by the other trustee, William C. Thompson Jr., New York City's comptroller, carried the most sway with the mayor.
That Bloomberg grew up in Tuft's hometown of Medford didn't hurt either.
Sometimes lining up a star speaker is simply luck: Albright graduated from Wellesley in 1959, and Gates went to Harvard in the mid-1970s, but dropped out his junior year so he could concentrate on Microsoft, the company he cofounded. Roberts comes to Holy Cross next Friday because his wife, Jane, is an alumna and a trustee.
While many colleges are upfront about the personal ties that land big names, some, such as Williams College, are reluctant to divulge details of the courtship, creating intrigue.
Snarky gossip columns and blogs have speculated whether Couric accepted Williams College's invitation to speak at commencement on June 2 because of a possible new love interest. Press reports last month tied Couric to Brooks Perlin, a New York entrepreneur and a 1996 Williams alumnus.
"It's simply coincidental," Mathew Hiltzik, a Couric spokesman, said in a phone interview with the Globe.
He stressed that another friend of Couric with ties to Williams first invited her two years ago, but that she couldn't accept because of her impending departure from the "Today Show." He also pointed out that Couric's brother-in-law and other family members are Williams alumni.
Other institutions, such as the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, have bowed out of the celebrity speaker's game, believing that the star speaker overshadows the day for graduates and families.
"If you get a big-name person, you end up spending a lot of time, energy, and resources on accommodating this person," said Ed Blaguszewski, a UMass-Amherst spokesman.
Many colleges don't pay speaker fees, but provide first-class airfare, stretch limousines, and swanky hotels. The Estefans, for instance, stayed at the Four Seasons.
"It's not a huge expense," said Roger H. Brown, Berklee president. "I think it makes graduates feel happy and proud."
James Vaznis can be reached at jvaznis@globe.com. 
