| This past weekend while watching the Michigan vs. | | | | Boston College; Brandeis University, the California |
| Iowa Football game there was a commercial on for | | | | Institute of Technology; College of William & Mary; |
| one of the Universities that I couldn’t get out of my | | | | Dartmouth College; Duke University; Emory University; |
| head, even after the Wolverines’ crushing defeat | | | | Fairfield University; Fordham University; Florida State |
| (and it didn’t help that QB Tate Forcier suffered a | | | | University; Johns Hopkins University; Northwestern |
| concussion either.) | | | | University; Providence College; Saint Anselm College; |
| I’m speaking of the recent University of Iowa ads | | | | University of Notre Dame; University of Oklahoma; |
| featuring famed broadcaster, Tom Brokaw. Currently | | | | University of Pennsylvania; along with Washington |
| running on a national level, these ads feature the | | | | University in St. Louis. |
| narration skills of the future Hall-of-Fame Broadcaster | | | | Thus, the question I pose to ask is…why University of |
| reciting lines of (Tradition, Respect) same old stuff | | | | Iowa? Why would you have an Alumnus who was |
| every other University today does with their | | | | unsatisfied with his education at your institution, come |
| commercials to lure unworthy undergraduates and | | | | back and do a nationally televised commercial? |
| chad-swinging freshman to their schools. | | | | (Probably because they figured no one would connect |
| However, when you elect to have a Alumni read | | | | the voice to Brokaw and take the time to look it up.) If |
| something for your institution, you would expect to see | | | | you knew he was willing to do it…why not give him |
| a graduation date at the end of the TV ad…or at | | | | an honorary degree just for doing that?!?!? I mean, |
| least the name of the person talking, to gain | | | | Emory University gave the man a degree! (And I’m |
| accreditation for your abilities to get someone to a | | | | sure it’s a fine school) |
| level of fame (like Brokaw himself). However, at the | | | | So today, I call upon the heads of the University of |
| end of this ad, there is nothing but “University of | | | | Iowa to realize exactly what a bad example they |
| Iowa.” So the question is…why don’t they let | | | | have set by having a former dropout lead the way for |
| people know? | | | | future students to come to the school and by all |
| It might be because Mr. Brokaw in fact never | | | | guesses, probably major in exactly what Mr. Brokaw |
| graduated from the University of Iowa. Brokaw | | | | did….(“beer and co-eds”) |
| himself dropped out after he was unsatisfied with the | | | | Nevertheless, there is the result, and I’m sure that |
| atmosphere there, saying he majored in “beer and | | | | when the call actually came from the University of |
| co-eds”. Later, Mr. Brokaw received his B.A. in | | | | Iowa 46 years after Mr. Brokaw dropped out of the |
| Political Science from the University of South Dakota in | | | | institution, Tom probably dignifiedly just sat back in his |
| 1964. Besides that, Mr. Brokaw has also been | | | | chair, recalled his days at the school, took a look at the |
| awarded honorary degrees from: | | | | 19 degrees hanging on his wall, and chuckled. |