Including Vicente Fox on Monday night, five prominent members of the global political community have spoken at Syracuse University-sponsored events in just over a year. Al Gore's visit created a buzz in the days running up to his speech. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.'s visit caused a bit of a stir with the help of Newhouse III's official opening. The remaining three speakers - Ireland's President Mary McAleese, former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton and Fox - drew minimal attention from the SU population. The reason for the variance in excitement in the run-up to the events: relevance.
SU should make every effort to attract big name speakers, like the five aforementioned individuals, to campus. Their presence at the university raises SU's profile, which encourages even more notable members to want to speak here. However, some high-profile speakers better suit the student population than others. The important aspect to consider is the subject that each speaker addresses.
Al Gore's topic, global warming, addressed something the current students' generation cares about. The content of his speech created the campus buzz, not his title of former vice president.
Roberts' speeches dealt with First Amendment issues, which appealed to fewer students - primarily those interested in communications and political science.
McAleese, Bolton and Fox also spoke about what they know best. But inclusive education, UN reform and Mexican-American relations only spark interest among small niches within the student body.
Ideally, all five speakers and their areas of specialties would attract considerable attention from the majority of SU students. One would hope SU students desire to learn more about the world around them, particularly about issues that directly affect them. Fox's topic, for example, will only become more important as the national debate over illegal immigration and their role in the American economy develops in the years to come. But student apathy and disinterest exist.
To keep the students interested in speakers and their topics, SU needs to find reputable speakers who offer something that relates to college-aged adults.
Consider Bono, who spoke at the University of Pennsylvania's commencement in 2004. Many college students respect U2's lead singer for his music and for his activism in AIDS assistance in Africa.
Other potential candidates for guest speaking opportunities could include Elton John, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs or Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The former discusses LGBT rights and the latter three candidates address technological issues. These topics and their representatives catch the attention of students and keep them listening.
The process of booking a guest speaker understandably involves hurdles. Scheduling conflicts, contract negotiations and location reservations all influence who comes to SU. Therefore, SU does not deserve blame for struggling to consistently find speakers that appeal to a broad base of students.
Any high-profile speaker serves SU better than no speaker at all. The university just needs to keep relevance to the student body in mind when brainstorming for future speakers.
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