Economist Dr. Alice Rivlin Set to Speak at Commencement

With the end of another spring semester looming in the air, and with an entire class of soon-to-be-graduating seniors spending all of their waking moments in the library in a mad scramble to finish off their capstone projects, it’ll soon be time to say goodbye to a great deal of our classmates as they graduate. This year’s Commencement speech is slated to be given by famed economist Dr. Alice Rivlin, who is most well known for her advising work on various financial programs for presidents Clinton and Obama, serving as the Vice President of the Federal reserve from 1996 to 1999, and authoring and co-authoring several well regarded books on economics.

 

With this new crop of graduating students going into the world to make a living for themselves, it makes sense that this year’s commencement speaker is a notable economist. Times have possibly never been harder for a graduating college student with a global economy struggling to right itself in the wake of the 2008 economic collapse and, for many, the burden of higher-than-ever student debt. It is a daunting time to enter the workforce no matter the intended career path. This is a time which will require real effort on the parts of prospective employees to secure a job that can support the lifestyles to which they have become accustomed.

 

Of course, no one can tell the future, and while things might be less than perfect economically today, tomorrow could hold as much bounty as it holds potential misfortune. A time of uncertainty is also a time of excitement, after all, and no one can predict the grand achievements that lie in store for graduating CSUMB students. A down economy leaves plenty of room for rebuilding in new, innovative ways. A world of opportunity awaits those brave enough to find it.

 

This year’s capstone ceremony looks to be a promising one, and with a commencement speech as important to students as this one, it will surely be a worthwhile event for all to be a part of. The Commencement speech is due to be given May 19, and Dr. Rivlin is due to be presented with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.