University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Donald Downs said Wednesday he was “very surprised and honored” when the university asked him to deliver the Dec. 22 Winter Commencement speech.
“[Commencement] is such a great occasion for so many students and a ceremony that is a passageway to the next phase of their lives, the next writing of their stories,” Downs said.
Down first began teaching courses about public law, American politics and political theory at UW-Madison in 1984 after earning bachelor, masters and doctorate degrees at out-of-state universities. However, his wife Susan, her parents and her brother are all UW-Madison alums, which makes him feel like “an alumnus by association,” Downs said in a release.
“I knew the university was on the cutting edge of so many things and so dynamic and alive I knew it would be a good place to teach,” Downs said.
Downs has been active in campus civil liberties issues, and is currently the president of one of the nation’s leading campus academic freedom and free speech groups, the Committee for Academic Freedom and Rights.
When describing his speech, Downs said he hopes to show students how important it was to attend UW-Madison to now “tackle life.” He added he will challenge and encourage the graduates to “make the most of what they will be doing” and “not be afraid to be different in their thinking.”
Downs said it is a “real pleasure” to work with young people who are interested in the “important and challenging questions of law and politics.”
