Lugar to address seniors

U.S. Sen. Richard "Dick" Lugar will deliver his first IU commencement speech to the Class of 2003 Saturday after years of the University asking the senator to address outgoing seniors.\nMembers of the IU community said they believe his invitation illustrates the nation's focus on international affairs and also provides an excellent example of how Hoosiers can be successful. This was also the first year Lugar was able to fit the commencement in his schedule.\nIU spokesperson Jane Jankowski said this is a year IU is certainly pleased to have the senator speak, given the many world events that have occurred and his involvement with international affairs.\nPolitical science department chair Jeffrey Hart said he believes Lugar's expertise most likely entered the minds of the commencement committee members while choosing the speaker.\nLugar, who has chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee since 1995, has had a strong presence in the Senate during the war with Iraq. He was invited to IU by a commencement committee headed by Ken Beckley, president of the IU Alumni Association. \nPolitical science professor Edward Carmines said while he doesn't see Lugar's speech as an indication of a national focus on international affairs, he believes Lugar was chosen because senators are important figures in American political life and because universities are dependent upon the political process. \nHart said he believes the graduates and their families will welcome Lugar because he is a moderate who gets a lot of credit from both sides of the spectrum, and because he's a long term politician who knows how to compromise.\n"It would be another thing if they invited someone like Newt Gingrich," he said. "Now that's a statement."\nJankowski said the University has not yet received a copy of Lugar's remarks and will most likely receive them Saturday morning. \nWhile Hart said he cannot speculate on what Lugar will speak about, he predicted the senator will probably mention the effects of both the war in Iraq and Sept. 11. \n"He's a guy who can speak pretty well," he said. "He's got a lot of experience and a lot to say."\nLugar, a fifth-generation Hoosier, will also be able to provide a strong example for the Class of 2003 of how successful Hoosiers can become in the world after graduation. Lugar's roots as mayor of Indianapolis from 1968 to 1975 and his involvement with local Indiana politics helped paved the way for his ascent to the U.S. Senate. He is the only Indiana senator who has been elected to more than three terms. \nJankowski said she believes it's a great opportunity -- as well as relevant -- for IU graduates to hear him speak, because he has accomplished a great deal for Indiana and the country.\n"I think that he is certainly someone who has set a very fine example throughout his life for not only residents of Indiana but for Americans, too," she said.\nJankowski said the senator will not be in Bloomington for a long period of time, because he has other engagements in Washington, D.C., and Indianapolis, and he will be delivering another commencement speech at his alma mater, Denison University, on Sunday. \nLugar has been busy this week with his sponsorship of the NATO expansion treaty which was ratified by a 96-0 vote Thursday in the Senate. \nIn light of a struggling economy and flat employment numbers, Lugar will also host a statewide Job Fair. The two-day event, taking place today and Saturday in Indianapolis, will feature dozens of employers looking for candidates to fill law enforcement, defense and security related jobs.