Agriculture secretary Glicksman to speak at Ivy Day

Senior Class President Loren Mendell announced yesterday that Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glicksman will deliver this year's Ivy Day address. Mendell said Glicksman was selected by the Senior Class Board, with assistance from some University Trustees and alumni. Mendell admitted, though, that he does not expect seniors to rejoice at this announcement. "I don't think people will really get fired up about agriculture unless they're from the Midwest," the College senior said. "[But] I've seen him speak before, and he's very witty and he's an excellent speaker. I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised." Mendell also said that since Ivy Day is supposed to be a "lighter" ceremony than Commencement, he is pleased that Glicksman will be involved. Glicksman served as Kansas' 4th District Congressman prior to March 30 of this year, when he assumed the agriculture post vacated by Mike Espy at the end of last year. President Clinton tapped Glicksman to replace Espy -- who resigned because he allegedly accepted gifts from poultry producers -- because of Glicksman's nearly two decades of experience on the House Agriculture Committee. A lawyer by training, Glicksman also served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Judiciary Committee before being elevated to cabinet rank. Although Glicksman is not a University alumnus, as Ivy Day speakers often are, University Secretary Barbara Stevens expressed confidence that his address will impress members of the Class of 1995 and their parents. "I hope that he will speak of issues that are important and of some note in keeping with the traditions of Penn and the good feelings of that day, and I anticipate that's exactly what he will do," she said. Ivy Day is held annually on the Saturday before Commencement. This year's ceremony is scheduled for May 20 at 4 p.m. in Irvine Auditorium. Four male and four female seniors chosen by their classmates for overall excellence and campus involvement are honored during the Ivy Day festivities. The class also unveils its Ivy Stone on Ivy Day, and the eight award winners plant ivy near the stone. In past years, L.A. Law's Alan Rachins, Murphy Brown's Candice Bergen, Mayor Ed Rendell and comedian Joan Rivers have spoken to graduating seniors on Ivy Day.