The University announced yesterday that bestselling author and Charlottesville resident John Grisham will serve as the commencement speaker during Graduation Weekend.
Grisham's name first surfaced when the Public Occasions subcommittee of the University's Commencements and Convocations Committee made a list of possible speakers, according to Alexander G. Gilliam, Jr., secretary to the Board of Visitors. The list was then reviewed by University President John T. Casteen, III.
The subcommittee "meets twice a year: one time to draw up lists of possible speakers for the fall convocation and one for the [graduation]" Gilliam said.
Gilliam said the subcommittee consisted of representatives such as the Fourth Year Trustees President, the president of Student Council, the chair of the Honor Committee, the chair of the University Judiciary Committee and various other students who were recommended by Student Council and Casteen.
After receiving this student input, the president makes the final decision of who will be invited to speak, he added.
Gilliam said the well-known author of 18 thriller novels emerged from the preliminary crop of approximately ten candidates because of his close ties to the University.
"He had a son who finished here in 2005," Gilliam said. "He has been interested in the University and [supported] various things at the University."
Fourth Year Trustees President E. Ross Baird said the decision to appoint Grisham as the commencement speaker reflected students' opinions of the possible candidates.
"I think all of the students on the committee were advocates for the speakers they knew [their peers] wanted," Baird said.
Casteen praised the committee for its selection.
"He is a great choice," Casteen said in an e-mail. "He has both a subtle sense of humor and a clear moral vision, and he makes sense."
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