Visit of First Lady to Malibu Is
Low-Profile Media Event
• Secret Service’s Advance Work
Assures a Complication-Free Seaver Graduation Program
Nearly 10,000 guests attended the Seaver
College commencement program on Saturday, April 28, to
celebrate this year’s 650 graduates concluding their
Pepperdine University baccalaureate experience. A
Malibu Surfside News intern takes a spectator’s look at
First Lady Laura Bush’s speech to the enthusiastic
audience of graduates, families and friends. It was a very
different atmosphere from ceremonies at some other campuses in
the nation where protests—silent and not so
silent—took place during speeches by White House
officials who perhaps are not held in the same high regard
as the President’s wife.
It was a quintessential Malibu
day—the azure sky was cloud-free and the temperature was
early summer warm. The Pepperdine University
graduating class of ’07 anxiously awaited the beginning
of their commencement ceremony, and a phalanx of Secret
Service agents moved into their assigned positions
throughout the Pepperdine campus.
Parents and guests were asked to remain
seated throughout the ceremony and no one was permitted to
vacate the premises until the culmination of the
reception. Vibrant flowers, balloons and sun dresses were
in sharp contrast with the black-suited, sunglass-donning and
somber-faced personnel assigned to assure the safety of the
wife of the President of the United States.
But the agents’ presence quickly
faded into the background as the gathering warmly welcomed
keynote speaker Laura Bush.
The ceremony ran extremely smoothly despite
the heightened level of security and greater than usual crowd.
Anticipating the large-scale turnout, university
representatives precluded the crowd-related problems that can
occur, by pre-renting numerous shuttles and requiring guests to
enter with color-coded tickets (as opposed to the open seating
of previous commencements).
Bush was welcomed by the
university’s president, Andrew Benton, and its
chancellor, Charles Runnels. Bush was accorded a
Pepperdine Honorary Doctor of Laws degree, the highest
honor conveyed on dignitaries. The First Lady beamed as the
hood with the colors of the degree was placed over her black
robe.
After accepting her degree, Bush
stepped forward to address the enthusiastic assemblage.
The First Lady quickly won over the crowd when she demonstrated
that research had been done on local student lore,
including the locations of favorite off-campus hangouts
for extra-curricular activity, and specific courses, both
famous and infamous, on the scenic campus.
After the levity, the First Lady became
serious and acknowledged the important philanthropic work of
the graduating class, praising its members for making a
difference with their participation in global affairs. Bush
said, “Our country is also blessed with compassionate
citizens who freely give to other nations in need. Many of
these compassionate citizens are right here at
Pepperdine.”
A number of students were specifically
recognized by Bush for their service to children and education,
two issues of personal importance to the former librarian and
teacher.
The First Lady concluded her speech by
reflecting on the Pepperdine motto, “Freely ye
received, freely give,” and she challenged the
graduating seniors to live their lives accordingly.
“Class of 2007,” she said,
You’ve received the blessings of your time at Pepperdine.
Now it’s time to freely give. Use your talent and energy
to make a better world for people throughout our country and
across the globe. You’ll find happiness along the
way.”
