USC announces list of 2014 commencement speakers

Marc Benioff, CEO and chairman of salesforce.com, will deliver the university’s 131st commencement address, USC officials announced yesterday. Six honorary degree recipients, including Benioff, were also announced.

The five additional honorary degree recipients include B. Wayne Hughes, the founder and chairman of Public Storage, the largest self-storage company in the world; Shonda L. Rhimes, the creator and executive producer of several ABC series such as Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and Scandal; Phillip A. Sharp, a Nobel laureate who has made significant discoveries in the understanding of genetic relations to  cancer and other ailments; James Simons, the founder of the successful hedge fund Renaissance Technologies and the Simons Foundation, which is a leader in mathematical research and basic sciences and Twyla Tharp, one of the United States’ premier dancers and choreographers.

Benioff is recognized as one of the pioneers of cloud computing. Both he and Hughes are USC alumni and trustees. Rhimes is a USC alumna.

Graduating seniors expressed mixed reactions about Benioff being announced as the commencement speaker. Students such as Lindsay Rapkin, a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, said that she wished the speaker was someone who was more well-known and relatable to the general population of seniors.

“I had to look him up, which I think says something for itself,” Rapkin said. “I do not feel that a tech billionaire is someone a lot of us can relate to. Also, USC places a large focus on business, but we are an extremely diverse academic institution and we have so many other interests.”

Chelsey Christensen, a senior majoring in communication, expressed similar sentiments. She mentioned that she did not know much about Benioff initially and had to look up additional information online.

“When I found out what he does, I thought it was ironic because it’s so USC to pick someone like that,” Christensen said. “I’m sure he will have cool things to talk about, but being in Annenberg I’m not as interested in hearing about business. It’s an interesting choice for the main ceremony but I don’t think it represents USC’s diverse interests.”

For some students in the Marshall School of Business, the chance to hear Benioff speak is an exciting prospect. Lauren Estrada, a senior majoring in business administration, said that she is looking forward to hearing Benioff speak because she is interested in what he has accomplished professionally. She also said, however, that she understood why students in other schools would not be as interested.

The speakers for individual schools can be found on USC’s website.

Editor’s note: This post has been updated.