Per administration, College to announce Condoleezza Rice and Susan Rice as Great Names speakers
By Charles Dunst ’18, Editor-in-Chief
Following last year’s inability to secure a Great Names speaker “of the caliber the campus has come to expect and enjoy,” the selection committee has chosen Condoleezza Rice and Susan Rice as two of this year’s speakers. The third speaker — a moderator, presumably a neutral journalist — has not been secured yet. The event is scheduled for April 11th.
Although the event has yet to be officially announced, college administrators have confirmed the selection to The Spectator, indicating that the event combines funding from both the Great Names and Common Ground budgets.
“The next two speakers in the program will be former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice. Both served as national security advisors in different administrations,” Mike Debraggio, the College’s Associate Vice President for Communications told The Spectator.
“This program will be part of the Sacerdote Great Names Series, but it will follow the Common Ground format,” although, Debraggio added, “We are not yet ready to announce who will serve as moderator.”
President Wippman added, “It is a combined Great Names/Common Ground event. We are pooling funding from both programs for a joint event.”
Condoleezza Rice served as President George W. Bush’s Secretary of State from 2005–2009; she was previously Bush’s National Security Advisor. Rice was the first female African-American Secretary of State. Additionally, Rice was the first woman to serve as National Security Advisor.
Rice has already spoken at Hamilton, as she was the 2010 Great Names speaker. Her November 2010 lecture focused on foreign policy, as she both lectured and answered questions.
During this event, Rice indicated that she felt as though the country had “lost its script for excellence and success.” She also stated that while many have criticized her handling of the war terror, she believes that it will be seen as her greatest contribution to America.
She now serves on the Board of Directors of Dropbox and Makena Capital Management. In October 2013, she was selected to be one of the 13 inaugural members of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.
Susan Rice served as President Barack Obama’s Ambassador to the United Nations from 2009–2013; from 2013–2017, she was Obama’s National Security Advisor. She had previously worked as President Bill Clinton’s Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.
She currently sits on the board of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, Bloomberg’s Bureau of National Affairs, and the Partnership for Public Service.
Along with Condoleezza Rice in 2010, previous Sacerdote Great Names speakers have included Neil deGrasse Tyson, Derek Jeter, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, and Rudolph Giuliani, among others. The College did not host a speaker in 2012, 2011, 2009, or 2005.
The stated purpose of the Great Names Series is to bring to campus “national and international leaders in government, business, science, and the arts.” Established in 1996, the series aims to provide Hamilton students, professors, and staff members, as well as the local community, the opportunity to interact with renowned individuals through free lectures and additional events.
The series is made possible by the significant contributions of Peter and Bonnie Sacerdote and their son Alex Sacerdote ’94; the series is named in their honor.
