Former Massachusetts Governor and Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney has been selected to deliver Saint Anselm College’s Commencement Address on Sunday, May 17, 2015.

The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. on the quad in front of Alumni Hall, where Gov. Romney will receive an honorary Doctorate along with additional recipients that have yet to be announced.

Gov. Romney’s selection was made late last year prior to the announcement of the changing of the 2015 Commencement date, as the College’s Administration has stated that part of the reasoning behind the date change was to accommodate the Commencement Speaker.

Saint Anselm’s Communications Department revealed that Gov. Romney will be providing the Commencement Address without compensation, for the College as a rule does not pay Commencement Speakers.

In an email announcement, President Steven DiSalvo shared that “The life lessons and leadership skills Governor Romney will present to our graduates as they venture out into the world represent a set of values commensurate with that of Saint Anselm’s mission – to educate individuals who make and find opportunities to engage in the service of diverse local, national and global fields and communities.”

President DiSalvo added that “There are few individuals who can stand before a group of young men and women with such a wide range of experiences and accomplishments, in both the public and private sectors.”

Commenting on the College’s awarding of an honorary Doctorate upon Gov. Romney, Neil Levesque (Executive Director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics) stated that “The Honors Committee has made a fantastic decision to award the Governor an honorary degree. If our democratic government is to thrive we must cherish and honor those who devote their lives to civic engagement and dialog.”

The Crier solicited responses from the Class of 2015 regarding this news, and received the following responses.

“I hear many people saying this is a political statement by President DiSalvo, but I disagree,” Senior Olivia Babine posited. “This isn’t about Romney’s politics, it’s about his accomplishments, success and his ethical framework that I believe is in line with the values and mission of Saint Anselm. He’s an accomplished man; his credentials speak for themselves. He is a two time former presidential candidate, a family man who has been married for 45 years, is a former New England Governor and a successful businessman whose charitable contributions are equally as measurable.”

“Faithful public service and a moral Christian fabric are important Anselmian values, and I believe that Romney fits that ticket,” Babine added. “This is why my family and I look forward to his commencement speech and all the happiness that graduation entails. Regardless of whether you like Romney, enjoy graduation, celebrate your accomplishment and be proud that you’ve made it through these past four years and get to listen to one of the most successful men in this country.”

Senior Dan Bartley, a registered Democrat from Massachusetts who voted for President Obama in the 2012 Election, had a similar opinion.

Bartley shared that “If you know where I stand politically, there probably would never be a time where I would vote for Gov. Romney. But his selection to deliver my commencement address speaks volumes to how important Saint Anselm College is to the political process of our country.”

“Having a former Governor and presidential candidate (regardless of political party affiliation) gives my graduating class a speaker that is a great example of leadership and determination that we can take into the next stage of our lives. The great thing about our country is we can civilly engage in debate about any issue there is,” Bartley added.

Opinions have been more divisive elsewhere, however, particularly in the comments section of a Facebook post made by the College regarding Gov. Romney’s selection.

“Although we all have different life goals and come from different political, cultural, and religious backgrounds we all share attributes that make us Anselmians: compassion, consideration and understanding of those less fortunate,” Senior Olivia Hamalainen commented on the post. “Romney represents a minority of the people in this country (the financial elite) and he has made it clear that helping those in need should never come before the needs of the demographic he represents.”

Hamalainen added that “The interests [Gov. Romney] represents are inconsistent with Catholicism and the values embedded in the fabric of the St. A’s community. Pope Francis is totally against the free-market inspired demonization of the poor that [Gov. Romney] represents.”

Concluding her post, Hamalainen stated that “Although this is extremely disappointing and a misrepresentation of our class, College and monastic community, I will not let [Gov. Romney] ruin one of the best days of my life.”

Janna Kelsey, a graduate of the Class of 2014, shared in another comment that “Romney disdains poor people, has made racially insensitive comments both to the public and to the President, has abused animals and has profited for YEARS on bankrupting smaller businesses (and subsequently making too many people lose their jobs). [This] seems pretty much the opposite of Benedictine. This is a disappointment, and I’m glad I graduated already.”

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Born and raised in Michigan, Gov. Romney had always been exposed to political sciences, having participated in the political campaigns of his father George Romney, a Republican who served as Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969.

Gov. Romney has been married to Ann Davies since 1969; the couple has five children together.

In 1971, Gov. Romney earned a Bachelor of Arts at Brigham Young University, which is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (known informally as the Mormon Church), of which he is a member.

Gov. Romney then went on to earn a joint Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration at Harvard in 1975.

Following his collegiate career, Gov. Romney spent two and a half years in France as a Mormon missionary.

After returning from France, Gov. Romney began working at Bain & Company, a management consulting firm based in Boston, in 1978, and was eventually promoted to chief executive officer due to having a large hand in taking the business out of financial crisis.

Upon leaving Bain & Company, Gov. Romney co-founded the investment firm Bain Capital in 1984.

A decade later, he ran for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts as a Republican, but was defeated by incumbent Senator Ted Kennedy (D – MA, Decd.).

Gov. Romney took over as president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee in 1999, putting him in the national spotlight.

In 2002, Gov. Romney played a major role in resolving the financial troubles of that year’s Winter Olympic Games, turning the event into a financial success.

Two years later, Gov. Romney published his book Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership, and the Olympic Games in order to recount his experiences with the Games.

Gov. Romney served as the Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and sought the Republican nomination in the 2008 Presidential election, eventually losing to Sen. Jon McCain (R – AZ).

Running again in the 2012 Presidential race, Gov. Romney secured the Republican Nomination (becoming the first Mormon Presidential Nominee in U.S. history), only to lose to President Barack Obama (D) by margins of 51% to 47% in the popular vote and 62% to 38% in the Electoral College.

In recent polls among likely Republican and Independent voters, Gov. Romney was the leader in potential Republican Nominees for the 2016 Presidential Election.

However, Gov. Romney announced in late January that he would not be launching a third campaign for President, explaining that he believes it would be best to give other leaders in the [Republican] Party the opportunity to become the next nominee.

A recent poll conducted through the partnership between Bloomberg Politics and Saint Anselm assessed voters’ new preferred candidate(s) after Gov. Romney’s announcement – full coverage on Page 1-2 of this issue of The Crier.