For many college students at institutions like ours, “finance”, “consulting” and “big law” have become catch-all terms that describe the failures and inequalities of the American economy. It comes as no surprise, then, that the announcement of Chuck Davis as our commencement speaker was met with widespread consternation. We are glad that the school’s choice has inspired such debate and would like to contribute our own small piece to address some of the concerns that have been raised in The Campus and elsewhere.
At times it seems everyone in the herd is pointing their fingers at some “big bad” corporation that exists solely to “deepen existing inequalities and divisions.” However, the reality is often more complex. Middlebury offers access to high-earning careers, and first generation professionals should have the opportunity to provide for their parents and children. The problem is not those who work for big companies, but rather those who do so and do not give back. Few careers allow recent graduates to pay off student loans, and not everyone is fortunate enough to have the resources to pursue careers at NGOs or nonprofits. Middlebury’s tight-knit alumni offer unique opportunities to those who would otherwise not have access to these insular networks.
The recent Op-Ed in The Campus leaves out the ways in which a person can dedicate their time to endeavors both within and outside their profession the way Davis has. For a portion of the student body, there will always be a gravitational pull towards finance and other high-earning positions. Therefore, the school's constituency will benefit from the voice of an individual who has used their professional success to improve the world. It’s unrealistic to expect any one commencement speaker to represent every graduate, and that’s exactly why variety matters. As the original Op-Ed points out, we have hosted academic speakers in previous commencements such as Terry Tempest Williams, a renowned author, in 2024 and Dr. Johnson, a marine biologist, in 2023. Chuck Davis serves as an exemplar for those many students that intend to pursue careers in the corporate world. His background may not align with the vision that some at Middlebury had for a commencement speaker, yet he can still offer us lessons in redemption and perseverance.
Capitalism is a flawed model plagued with inequality, but it is the mechanism that has raised millions out of poverty and allowed the average person to live better than history’s greatest rulers. We need to recognize the ways in which we can all practice socially responsible capitalism and pursue our own forms of philanthropy post graduation.
Many of us don’t know where our degrees will fit into an increasingly competitive job market. For students at Middlebury, pursuing a career in finance offers a unique opportunity to apply the skills and critical thinking abilities that the liberal arts provide to an intellectually rigorous industry. Further, the abilities that financial analysts and consultants develop are not simply siloed within their respective fields. Similar to Middlebury, they provide a set of skills that are widely applicable across a range of disciplines.
Graduating into a role in finance does not condemn someone to a lifetime of servitude to the gods of corporate America. Rather, it is a tried and true method by which college graduates can demonstrate hone abilities and later apply them to a wide range of careers. In a world governed by capital, it is paramount that we platform those who have used their success to advance values of humane citizenship and the pursuit of philanthropic ventures. Corporate America will march onwards whether or not we as a student body support them, so is it not best to fashion a model for students that aligns with the values that we as a college hold dear?
