Seniors Nab ESPN Speaker

Senior Class Marshal Katherine Ducker said the officers set their sights on Scott because seniors wanted someone who would energize the festivities.

"Scott is very different from speakers of recent years," she said. "The senior class made it clear that this was what they wanted and needed at graduation."

Scott is no stranger to the Tar Heel lifestyle. He graduated from UNC in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in communications.

Senior Class Vice President Sherilynn Black said she was overjoyed to have Scott speak at graduation.

"The fact that he is a Carolina graduate is great," she said. "He is a fine example of someone who has actually gone off and succeeded in a very competitive job market."

Senior Class President Jason Cowley said the idea of having Scott as this year's Commencement speaker came from members of the senior class.

"Sherilynn and I sent out an e-mail to the senior class listserv to solicit names for the graduation speaker," he said.

Black said the number of seniors who wanted to hear Scott speak was shocking.

"We compiled a list of a couple hundred names from the listserv," she said. "Some names appeared repeatedly in the messages. Scott's name was way high on the list."

From the senior class listserv, a committee of school administrators and seniors narrowed the list of speakers down to five names. Cowley declined to release the names of the other people who were considered to deliver the commencement speech.

Black said the committee had equal representation between administrators and seniors. "We had a lot of meetings and carefully discussed the pros and cons of each potential speaker," she said. "It really was a group process, and I believe the decision was fair."

The list of potential orators was then sent to Chancellor James Moeser for consideration and back to Cowley for the final decision. Scott could not be reached for comment, but Black said Scott was thrilled to be invited.

Black said response from the senior class has been nothing but positive since the final confirmation of Scott.

And she said she hopes all seniors and guests will be satisfied with the choice. "Stuart Scott is a lot of fun and is an energetic speaker," Black said. "He is known for his gregarious personality and his ability to engage the audience in his talks.

"He should be a great asset to the Commencement ceremony."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.