New York Times’ Brooks to address Harper graduates
New York Times opinion page columnist, author and commentator David Brooks commits to only one commencement address every year, and it’s far from random that Harper College in Palatine is his destination this Sunday.
Not only does the native New Yorker have ties to the area stretching back to his days at the University of Chicago in the early '80s, but he also has a strong opinion of the important role community colleges in particular play in American society.
“These are the engines of social mobility,” Brooks told the Daily Herald Friday.
He added that for those like himself who believe the U.S. is rapidly splitting into two distinct socioeconomic groups, community colleges can be the glue that keeps the old model of society together.
“They’re innovating a lot more than they used to,” Brooks said.
Community colleges not only provide an educational basis for nearly every profession, but they can be a way of alleviating the crippling student-loan debt that is becoming such a major issue in this country, he said.
And while every college graduation ceremony is a happy occasion, Brooks gets a bigger personal thrill from community college commencements where many families are gathering to see their first members earning degrees.
“It’s, frankly, more inspiring to see,” he said.
This year, a record will be set at Harper — 4,232 students earning an associate degree or certificate. That’s 399 more than the record set last year.
Brooks also will be receiving an honorary degree of his own from Harper on Sunday.
While Brooks often receives a fee for his personal appearances and speeches, he does commencement addresses like this one for absolutely free, he said.
He plans to address what success really looks like, contrasting the “Reality TV” success of celebrities and such figures as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg with the kind of slow, gradual success graduates can and should aspire to.
Always a fan of and frequent visitor to Chicago, his ties are strengthening further through his friendship with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his recent joining of the board of trustees at his alma mater, the University of Chicago.
Immediately after graduating in 1983, he cut his teeth in professional journalism working for the old City News Bureau before returning east. But as well respected a voice as he’s become on the national and international scene, he said Chicago has retained a special place in his heart.
Harper’s graduation ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday on the quad of the main campus at 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine. The event is free and open to the public.