Leaders hope to avoid controversy, cut costs and keep everyone awake.

Inside Higher Ed reports.

Bradley University forgoes guest commencement speakers

With commencement season looming, colleges are announcing speakers. At least a handful of these announcements are likely to spark some controversy. Whether the college has chosen a speaker who is divisive or simply too expensive, or whose fee is too secret, or who isn’t deemed serious enough, such controversies have become a relatively consistent springtime staple in academe.

Bradley University, in Illinois, has decided this year to dodge the issue entirely, but, its president said, mostly just to save time.

“Spending an extra hour to listen to somebody speak that probably nobody wants to hear in the first place seems like not a very smart thing to do,” said Gary Roberts, who assumed the position of president at Bradley in January. “I’m told the ceremonies were dragging on for over three hours. I lose attention after about 30 minutes.”