Jerry Springer to deliver Northwestern Law commencement address

[April 29, 2008]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Talk show host Jerry Springer accepted an invitation to give the commencement address at Northwestern University School of Law, despite student-generated petitions and blogs claiming he is an unsuitable choice.

A group of law students chose Springer for the May 16 event and faculty approved the decision last week. Springer, a former Cincinnati mayor who hosts "The Jerry Springer Show," is a 1968 graduate of the law school.

"As always, I am honored to have been asked, flattered that the students invited me," Springer said Monday in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "And as for those who didn't want me, it just shows they have good taste."

Springer has spoken at numerous universities, including 15 in the past few months, publicist Linda Shafran said.

Springer is a former Cincinnati mayor and news anchor. He was a Cincinnati councilman in the 1970s but resigned in 1974 after admitting he wrote personal checks to prostitutes.

But he's best known for his television show, which often features scores of bleeped-out obscenities and spirited sparring matches broken up by security guards.

"People feel like he has made his name and fame by taking advantage of people," student Alex Aixala told the Chicago Tribune. "I honestly feel like the purpose of a graduation speaker is to inspire you to make the world a better place."

Northwestern law school administrators, including Dean David Van Zandt, defended the choice, stressing Springer's history in public office.

"Mr. Springer is an alumnus who has held public office as a city council member and mayor of Cincinnati," Van Zandt wrote in a statement posted on the legal blog Above the Law. "He has had a very successful career in the news and entertainment industries."

[Associated Press; By SOPHIA TAREEN]

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