Commencementgate: Colleges pick leftist commencement speakers 7-1
The liberal tilt of America’s top colleges and universities has gone off the charts with the ratio of liberal-to-conservative commencement speakers reaching 7-1, an all-time high, according to a new survey of graduation ceremonies at the top 100 schools.
“It was particularly awful this year,” said Ron Meyer of the Young America’s Foundation, which conducted the survey. “The ratio has never been this bad.”
According to the conservative youth group, of the top 100 universities in the latest U.S. News rankings, 71 featured liberal speakers while 10 hosted conservatives. And of the top 35 schools, only one asked a conservative to speak. Emory College, ranked 20th in the nation, had Obamacare foe Benjamin Carson give the commencement.
Sixteen Obama officials will speak, more than the total number of conservatives, and conservative journalists were shut out while 11 liberal and mainstream reporters, anchors and commentators were given the spotlight including Barbara Walters, Cokie Roberts, Katie Couric, Soledad O’Brien, Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams.
A previous YAF survey found that Bush administration officials spoke at the top 100 schools a total of 14 times, and he served eight years. In President Obama’s first three years, officials have spoken 29 times.