May 12, 2006

Talk Is Cheap, Except at Commencement

By AMY RAINEY

Celebrity commencement speakers can bring prestige to an institution, so selection committees go to great lengths to secure them. Many institutions use their alumni or trustee connections to hook speakers, often sealing the deal with honorary degrees.

But when all else fails, money talks.

College spokesmen often profess ignorance when asked about speakers' fees. Occasionally, however, a figure is casually mentioned, and new graduates saddled with student loans may have to blow

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