Columbia College's 2010 Class Council announced that NAACP President Ben Jealous will be its Class Day Speaker in May. Jealous, who graduated from Columbia in 1994, was named in the "short list" of speakers, who included Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, actresses Anna Paquin (who attended one year) and Julia Stiles, former president Bill Clinton and current President Obama (Class of '83). Reaction to the pick is mixed—one Bwog commenter says, "great choice" while another says, "thanks, columbia. a last slap in the face"—but complaining about Class Day Speakers is a long tradition. Remember the furor when John McCain spoke in 2006? Matthew Fox in 2007? Or Joel Klein in 2008? more ›

Finally, we have two reasons to discuss Lost. First a warning: stop reading this if the show is still on your DVR, unwatched. more ›

TV star Matthew Fox went to his alma mater today to give the Class Day speech at Columbia College. Fox, class of 1989, was a controversial speaker choice amongst the Columbia community, given that other Columbia University schools had, er, Nobel Laureate and former Treasury Secretary types speaking. Just Jared has a partial transcript of his remarks:

“You may have an idea where you want to be in 20 years and some of you will get there. But if you do, I guarantee you won’t have let yourself take chances. Eighteen years ago sitting in these seats, as hung over as I was, I remember a sense of accomplishment & a sense of fear. In defining the future for yourselves, the safest choice may not be the best choice... more ›

Congratulations to everyone graduating this month! As NYU's commencement was today, with speaker jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, we decided to list the many NYC commencement speakers, with help from The Chronicle of Higher Education (if we've missed any or gotten it wrong, let us know in comments): more ›

A few weeks ago, Columbia students reeled from the news that Golden Globe-nominated, Saturn Award- and SAG Award-winning actor Matthew Fox was chosen as the class day speaker. Bwog wrote about Fox's second banana performance in We Are Marshal, which starred Matthew McConaughey: "Our Class Day speaker got upstaged by the smelliest-looking man in show business." more ›

Apparently, sexy Hollywood beefcake is what Columbia College is trying to promote at its Class Day this year! Last year, father-of-fellow-Columbia College-student Senator John McCain spoke, to wide protest. This year, Columbia College has selected Matthew Fox, star of Lost, to be the main speaker. more ›

- Curbed has renderings of Queens West... no word on developments called "Queens East/North/South" (we'd dig a "Queens North by Northwest") more ›

Since Senator John McCain will be speaking at the Columbia College Class Day no matter what, students are planning on protesting him before the festivities. They are going to gather at 8:30AM on Tuesday, May 16, to protest and distribute literature, though we're not sure if they are going to sit out Class Day itself and boycott the ceremony from 10AM-12:30PM. But they have set up the website, mccainatcolumbia.com to discuss the issue, with sections about McCain's views on gay rights, abortion, Iraq, and his speaking at Liberty University. You can also add comments that may be distributed on Class Day. more ›

Senator John McCain is facing a very tough crowd outside of the Beltway. Students and professors alike at the New School are upset over his selection as the commencement speaker. New School president, fellow Vietnam vet, and former McCain colleague Bob Kerrey selected McCain as a commencement speaker because he's "one of the world's most important leaders," as Kerrey explained to the Times. But a lot of the student and faculty population feels differently, as hundreds of people signed a petition arguing that McCain shouldn't speak, noting that his positions on the war and a woman's right to choose, and a bunch of people protested outside the New School office yesterday. However, Kerrey is sticking to the plan and keeping McCain on the speaking list. more ›

Stewart, after requisite mentions of his dorm and his academic prowess, also mentions how he got over September 11 at the end of the speech. Read it and weep. more ›

- Will Ferrell as George W. Bush at Harvard's Class Day more ›