The surprise choice of Dana Gioia as Commencement speaker on Monday had students scratching their heads and searching Wikipedia for more information about the poet and chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. As University and student leaders praised the Bush appointee, immediate reaction from the senior class was mixed.

“The fact that a lot of us don’t know who he is,” said senior Susan Rodriguez, “is not a good sign.”

In related news, President John Hennessy also announced that former Episcopal Bishop of California Rev. William Swing will serve as this year’s Baccalaureate speaker.

A native Californian of Italian and Mexican descent, Gioia received bachelor’s and business degrees from Stanford before earning a masters degree in Comparative Literature from Harvard.

In addition to publishing three full-length poetry collections, Gioia has contributed to the New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Washington Post and The New York Times.

In 2003, he was appointed by President George Bush as chair of the National Endowment for the Arts and, earlier this year, received unanimous confirmation from the senate for his reappointment.

“Dana Gioia’s life story is one of an unyielding thirst for knowledge and relentless dedication to the art of the written word,” Hennessy said in a statement. “His experiences are a testament to the fact that education is a lifelong journey and that taking on new challenges, while risky, can open doors to remarkably rich existence. I believe such life lessons are of tremendous value for those about to embark on a new phase of life, and I am eager to hear his words of wisdom for our graduating students.”

Many said that in such a heated political year, it would have been more pertinent to bring in a figure with a background in government or foreign affairs.

“I am impressed with his credentials and his experience,” said senior Sasha Buscho. “But given everything that’s going on in the world with the current war and the upcoming elections, it would have been more effective to have a political figure that could inspire us about the present issues.”

The call for a political speaker appears strong on campus, as Senior Shane Walker’s Facebook group “Bill Clinton for Stanford Commencement Speaker in ‘07” had attracted 443 members. In an email to The Daily, Walker expressed disappointment with the speaker choice and the University’s lack of transparency.

“Am I alone in saying, ‘that came out of nowhere?!’” Walker wrote. “This process just reeks of smoke from the old backrooms. Open up the process. Let us know who you considered, what didn’t work, and why. Additionally, how many nominations did this guy actually receive from the class (outside of relatives)? It can’t be more than you can count on one hand.”

Senior Mike Lazar expressed disbelief that Stanford could not exercise its apparent clout to choose a more prominent Commencement speaker.

“I’m really surprised that Stanford couldn’t leverage it’s reputation to find a more prominent and well known speaker,” he said.

Senior Class President Vivek Agrawal said that while some students may not be directly familiar with Gioia’s work, the poet’s background in both business and art would allow him to share a unique perspective with graduating students.

“We feel that come commencement, he will give a truly memorable speech,” Agrawal said. “He has spoken at alumni reunions before and the audience found him quite personable. He really targeted issues that people were feeling regarding life after Stanford.”

Some agreed, saying that their unfamiliarity with Gioia did not imply that Gioia would be a poor speaker.

“Even though I haven’t heard of him, he seems incredibly well qualified and it also seems like he would be a good speaker,” said senior Tyler Kirtley. “In the end it comes down to the message and not the person who delivers it.”

Senior Reena Magsarili said that she thought Gioia’s strong connection to the arts was a good perspective to bring on campus.

“I definitely feel that Stanford doesn’t focus on the arts that much, and maybe that’s why he presents a problem as a speaker, because he’s not representative of what the University is about,” Magsarili said. “But maybe it’s also a good reminder to not forget about that aspect of a liberal arts education.”