Judgment Day

How exactly does one become a Supreme Court justice? On May 27, the Harvard Class of 2010 will find out, as this year’s commencement speaker is former Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter ’61. Souter is an excellent choice, and we commend the University for choosing a commencement speaker well known for his public service, instead of someone made famous through finance or other better-trodden paths of success.

Souter has spent his entire career in public service. He made his way up through the judicial ranks, serving on the New Hampshire Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals and as an Associate Attorney General in New Hampshire. As such, he is a strong role model for students tempted by the ease of applying for a job in finance, consulting, or another less altruistic profession with a convenient on-campus recruiting tool. Additionally, Souter inspires students to see public service as a lifelong vocation rather than a “second career” or side interest.

This announcement should compel the Harvard community to look carefully at its own commitment to public service and assess whether it is living up to its stated values. Former Harvard president Charles W. Eliot, Class of 1853, once famously asked students of the College to “enter to grow in wisdom, depart to serve thy better thy country and thy kind.” Administrators, professors, students, and community affiliates alike should take this message to heart. To a significant extent, this is already happening. University Public Service Week was held last October, and President Drew Faust has expounded many times, including in The Crimson, on the virtues of public service—citing her own time with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as firsthand evidence. Last term, the Institute of Politics hired a career counselor to help students find post-graduation placements in public service. The Harvard Kennedy School is working with the White House Office of Personnel Management to find its graduates public service jobs on a national level. Still, there is much more to be done. All facets of the University, from academic departments to student organizations, should be involved in this community process of promoting public service careers.

As for the student body’s reaction to Souter, we caution against the extreme excitement or disappointment that has characterized students’ past reactions to the announcements of commencement and Class Day speakers—after all, there is no way to preemptively know the quality of the speech before the day of Commencement. The hype that preceded 2008 Class Day speaker Federal Reserve Chair Ben S. Bernanke ’75 starkly contrasted with students’ negative attitudes after his notorious ten-citation speech, during which many attendees left. On the other hand, last year’s Class Day speaker, Matt Lauer of The Today Show, was surprisingly enjoyable and enlightening. As such, students should not jump to conclusions, especially not negative ones, before the speaker actually delivers his or her speech.

Additionally, Harvard students would do well to appreciate that many other universities do not attract graduation speakers of nearly the same prominence as Harvard does, and we therefore should not take Souter’s appearance for granted. Last year’s commencement speakers at other Cambridge and Boston-area colleges included Arthur creator Marc Brown at Lesley College, former Wellesley College President Diana Chapman Walsh at Cambridge College, and actor Blair Underwood—who spent a week at Harvard as an Office for the Arts artist in residence earlier this year—at Emerson College. These speakers are undoubtedly worthy choices, but they do not have the cache of the University’s recent speakers, and it would be ungrateful of us not to appreciate our speakers on the basis of their cultural significance alone. Regardless of whether his speech inspires students to go into public service or is just interesting, the fact that Justice Souter is coming to speak at Commencement should make all seniors proud.