The New School will hold auditions to find their 2017 student commencement speaker on March 3. The process was changed in an effort to encourage more students to apply.
In an email sent out on Feb. 7, the university said it was looking for someone who “embodies and projects the best qualities and core values of a New School education.” The email also specified that applicants must have a GPA of at least 3.7 and have two faculty members or administrators who can “support your candidacy.”
This is the first year that the university has required an audition process. Previously, students applied in writing. “The change was made as the former process prioritized writing skills over speaking skills,” said Rachel Ritchie, Senior Director for Retention, Data and Communications. “The task at hand for the student speaker is public speaking, not writing, so the hope is this process will better assess the requirements for this post.”
University Student Senate Chair, Serengeti Timungwa, who will be part of the selection panel, agreed. “Some students are just not as articulate in writing when talking about their experiences, compared to speaking and they would get rejected in the first steps of the selection process,” she said.
Now there is no longer a written element to the application. Instead applicants were required to prepare a two-minute speech and fill out a form with some basic information by Wednesday March 1, 17 student applied for the audition this year, while 19 filled out the written application last year, according to the communications department.
The university is also working closely with the USS to help select the student speaker. “The goal [of the new audition process] was to have more student involvement, but also have a more open and holistic selection process. The process before was sort of behind closed doors,” Timungwa said.
“While choosing a student commencement speaker may be seen as a strategic process for administrators, it is also important that we as students can relate with, feel proud of, and look up to the student commencement speaker,” she added.
Other faculty members across the divisions are involved in the process as well. “The speaker will be chosen by a panel representing different schools and departments within the university and the USS,” Richie said. “Staff members from the School of Drama are providing guidance for the audition process.”
The switch in process was met with mixed reactions.
“That’s bizarre,” said Lang senior Sarah Lazar of the audition process. “But it definitely gives more people a chance. They’ll get a better feel of how people actually speak.”
The first round of auditions were held on Friday, March 3. After this finalists will be notified by March 20 and return for a follow-up interview between March 27 and 29. Finally the speaker will be announced on April 3.
Photo by Julia Himmel.
Taylor is a journalism + design junior from Florida.
