Chancellor Nancy Cantor sent an e-mail to students Friday saying JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Financial Officer Jamie Dimon is well-renowned in the business world and a good choice for the 2010 commencement speaker.

“Whether one agrees or disagrees with the selection, there is no question that Mr. Dimon is playing a key role, front and center in addressing one of, if not the major global challenge(s) of our day,” Cantor said in the e-mail.

Since the university’s announcement of Dimon as the Syracuse University and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry commencement speaker on March 25, students have cited their disproval for a variety of reasons. Student concerns include JPMorgan’s partnership with the university, what they see as the inappropriateness of having a banker speak during a financial recession, and discontent with the process used to choose the speaker.

Other students, however, feel that Dimon is a qualified choice as someone who remained a leader in the banking world throughout the recession.

Cantor said she respects the wide range of reactions to the choice of Dimon but hopes the university community can come together to benefit from hearing him speak.

She listed previous commencement speakers in the e-mail including Billy Joel, Bob Woodruff, and Vice President Joe Biden as “stars with an inclusive reach into both the fears and hopes of our next generation.” Dimon is in the same category due to his success in the banking industry, his dedication to national and international economic ventures, and his commitment to education, she said.

“Beyond our campus, millions of people all around the world recognize that Jamie Dimon is a leader whose voice is timely and seasoned, no matter whether one agrees or disagrees, reveres or rejects, his specific economic policies, corporate actions, or leadership approach,” Cantor said.

 

Published on April 8, 2010 at 12:00 pm