Mitt Romney to speak at Jacksonville University spring commencement

Putative presidential candidate Mitt Romney will deliver the keynote address at Jacksonville University's spring commencement and receive an honorary degree, the university announced Wednesday.

The former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee is expected to run a third time for the nation's top office, and may challenge another prominent Floridian, Jeb Bush, experts say.

Romney joins a long list of political and policy leaders who spoke at the private university over its 80-year history, including former President Gerald Ford; Vice President Lyndon Johnson; Secretaries of State Dean Rusk and Gen. Colin Powell; Ross Perot, founder of Electronic Data Systems Corp. and later a presidential candidate; Federal Reserve Chairmen Paul Volcker and Ben Bernanke; and Czech Republic Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus.

Most recently PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra K. Nooyi spoke and accepted the university's first Presidential Global Citizen Award.

"We are delighted to offer our students the opportunity to hear from one of the leading figures in industry and public service of the past three decades," said JU President Tim Cost. "Gov. Romney has established an outstanding track record of accomplishments, and is sure to offer insight and inspiration to our campus community."

Romney will not be paid an honorarium, but the university will reimburse travel and lodging costs.

Recently the Washington Post reported Romney charged Mississippi State University $50,000 for speaking and has donated much of that to charity. The paper also cited a financial disclosure released during Romney's last presidential run that totaled his speaking fees in 2011 at $360,000.

As Massachusetts governor, Romney passed landmark health-care legislation and helped eliminate a $1.2 million budget deficit. He ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and was the party's nominee in 2012.

Romney's business background includes founding Bain Capital in 1984, an investment company that has helped launch or reshape hundreds of companies but which also brought Romney criticism for financing companies' downsizing and outsourcing efforts. In 2002, Romney oversaw the successful Salt Lake Winter Olympics, after taking over as president and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee and helping turn around the event, which had suffered from budget and operating challenges.

The holder of a MBA and doctorate from Harvard University, Romney was named by Time magazine in 2012 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Local leaders and pundits had measured reactions to the prospect of Romney bringing a national spotlight to Jacksonville while doling out advice to JU graduates.

"You'd love to have big names and for the national press to come on campus; it's going to shed some light on JU, which is good," said John Delaney, president of University of North Florida, which doesn't invite big name speakers for its commencements.

"We had the Republican presidential debate here three years ago, and it was great national exposure for our campus. It doesn't mean the school is taking a political position, but you love the high profile," he said.

He said colleges should have speakers with political viewpoints, but they also should be sure to provide speakers representing a variety of viewpoints to the podium at major events.

"It's a progressive school and their next speaker could be a prominent Democrat," he said.

Romney committed to speak at the university before his recent announcement that he's considering another presidential run, said Phillip J. Milano, a university spokesman.

Some Democratic leaders downplayed Romney's presence, saying if he doesn't win the presidency, graduates will barely remember his commencement speech years later.

"If I were a student I'd be disappointed with Mitt Romney as a speaker because he ran a failed presidential campaign," said Neil Henrichsen, Duval Democractic Party Chairman. "I would want Barack Obama to be there."

Commencement is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, on JU's Dolphin Plaza.

JU has more than 4,000 students on its 240-acre campus. The private university employs nearly 200 full-time faculty and offers more than 70 majors, programs and concentrations.

Denise Amos: (904) 359-4083