Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton—seen here speaking at the dedication of the Danforth University Center—was selected as the commencement speaker for Harris-Stowe State University. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

Harris-Stowe State University announced that Washington University Chancellor Mark Wrighton will give its commencement speech this year and receive an honorary degree from its institution.

Harris-Stowe is a historically black college located in downtown St. Louis and boasts over 150 years of history. It is the only historically black college in the region.

The decision to have Wrighton serve as commencement speaker was personally initiated by Harris-Stowe President Henry Givens.

“I believe that he is just the right person to address our 2009 graduating class. I know personally from being around him that he will have a great message that [the students] will be able to remember far into the future,” Givens said. “He is just the right person for this particular class for this time.”

Givens has been a personal friend of Wrighton since Wrighton’s arrival at the University in 1995. Upon arriving in the area, Wrighton wished to visit Harris-Stowe and expressed interest in collaborating with the nearby institution, which is only a few miles from the Danforth Campus.

Givens received an honorary doctorate of humanities from the University in 2007.

Givens said he has known for years that Wrighton would make a great speaker for Harris-Stowe.

“Some universities go outside of the community [to find commencement speakers], but this year I said I wanted to stay in this area,” he said. “I think he is a great man and great speaker.”

Givens also commended Wrighton for his work at the University.

“When you look at what he’s done at Wash. U., Wrighton is a great educator and great university administrator, and I admire him greatly because he is one of the great university administrators, and fortunately we have him here in St. Louis,” Givens said.

Wrighton has been involved with the Black Repertory Theater, a program started by a University student. The program is currently the nation’s largest professional African-American theater company.

“[Wrighton] and his wife have taken a great interest in it and supported it and expanded many of the programs for minority students over recent years,” Givens said.

Wrighton has given other commencement addresses, most notably at his alma mater, Florida State University. In an interview with Student Life, Wrighton said that his speech at Harris-Stowe will focus on the significance of an education and using that education to benefit society.

“I will be emphasizing the importance of preparing members of the minority community with higher education experiences, because our country will be more diverse in the future. They are part of a population group that will be very important in the next 30 or 40 years,” Wrighton said.

The Board of Regents at Harris-Stowe is responsible for the choice of the commencement speaker. Givens said the board members are thrilled about this year’s choice.

“They all know about the surrounding universities. We are all connected, and we all have collaborations. All the board members are aware of the great things [Wrighton has] done for the University and for this community in general,” Givens said.

According to Givens, many Harris-Stowe graduates go on to acquire advanced degrees from the University.

Harris-Stowe has had a diversified group of commencement speakers in the past, ranging from the Rev. Jesse Jackson to former Sen. John Danforth.

Despite the contentment of Harris-Stowe administrators in their choice, some University students remain perplexed by the decision.

“The idea of recent commencement speeches has been to encourage public service and go out into the community,” sophomore Jay Gross said. “While Wrighton may bring a positive message to a local community, I think they would benefit from having someone outside of the St. Louis community or someone within the St. Louis community who’s out there in the field every day.”

For Wrighton, the opportunity to speak at Harris-Stowe is another opportunity for higher-education institutions in the state of Missouri to form interactive relationships.

“We have collaborated in our efforts to strengthen investment in the state of Missouri, and as much as we are private and they are public, I think when we speak about the importance of higher education that we can make an important difference,” Wrighton said.