Cisco CEO Chambers chosen for commencement

By Ann Cheung

As the weeks dwindle down for the Class of 2009 at Santa Clara, the anticipation for commencement builds. To help this eager group , the Board of Trustees has obtained a compelling commencement speaker.

John Chambers is the current Chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems, the leading supplier of networking equipment and network management for the Internet, headquartered in San Jose.

This year was not the first time Santa Clara has asked Chambers to deliver this speech, according to Jim Briggs, executive assistant to the president.

Previously, there had always been a conflict in availability. The invitation was reissued this year, and he said yes, Briggs said.

"It has been a while since we've had a major corporate leader as the commencement speaker, so it's probably a good time," Briggs said.

Among Chambers' many accomplishments is turning a $70 million dollar company into one worth $40 billion in under twenty years.

In addition to his work for Cisco, Chambers has served on Bill Clinton's Trade Policy Committee, was the Vice Chairman of George W. Bush's National Infrastructure Advisory Council, has received multiple awards including Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People" and throughout all of this has maintained a strong commitment to community outreach and philanthropic work.

Annie Shea Weckesser, an executive communications manager for the Office of the Chairman and CEO at Cisco, who works directly with Chambers, was eager to stress Chambers' dedication to giving back.

"Cisco as a company, and John as an individual gives a lot of effort around healthcare and education, bridging the digital divide and how he can make the world a better place," Weckesser said.

Umang Desai, student body vice president and graduating senior, thinks that whatever Chambers says will be noteworthy based on Chambers' status in this business world.

"It will be from one of the most prominent individuals many of our students have ever heard," Desai said.

"On another note," he said, "while I know our nation is going through tough economic times, I would rather him not dwell too much on that. I am sure most of us would rather treat this event as a celebration."

Weckesser said that Chamber's speech would most likely emphasize the importance of education, technology and mutual respect in his speech. "Be really conscious of how you interact and how you treat people because you never really know how you're going to connect with this person in the future," is some advice Weckesser said Chambers may give based on her knowledge of his commencement speeches in the past.

As a 2001 Santa Clara graduate, Weckesser also commented on the similarities she has experienced between Chamber's business ethics at Cisco and the Jesuit philosophy at Santa Clara.

"John always says that Cisco is a family, very similar to how Santa Clara University is a family," she said. "Giving back, trust, fairness, integrity, inclusion: I would say that those are maybe five areas where [Cisco] ties back to Santa Clara."

This year's Santa Clara graduates may have a lot to look forward to from his commencement speech.

Desai seems very excited about the opportunity to have Chambers speak at commencement.

"To know that at one point during his time as Cisco CEO he took a salary cut, making only $1 per year, so that other employees could keep their job is the type of leadership most of us desire from senior management."

John Baumann, S.J., will also receive an honorary degree at the commencement, University President Micahel Engh, S.J., said in an email sent out to undergraduate students May 1. Baumann was the Executive Director of PICO National Network, founded in 1972.

PICO is a national network of faith-based community organizations working to create innovative solutions to problems facing urban, suburban and rural communities and the poor, Engh said in the email. PICO originally stood for Pacific Institute for Community Organization, but was later changed to People Improving Communities through Organizing.

Since it's founding, PICO has successfully worked to increase access to health care, improve public schools and neighborhood safety, build affordable housing and redevelop communities, Engh said in the email.

Earlier this year Baumann received the Sister Margaret Cafferty Development of People Award from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

Contact Ann Cheung at (408) 554-4546 or accheung@scu.edu.