With just 17 days before the Saturday, May 3 graduation the Selection Committee, a sub-committee of the 17-member Commencement Committee, just locked in a commencement speaker yesterday at 5 p.m. according to Roger Gregory, special assistant to the Chancellor.

The speaker, Vernon Jones, is the Chief Executive Officer of DeKalb County, Ga. Jones, a 1983 N.C. Central University alumnus, manages the day-to-day operations of DeKalb county, a county that 700,000 citizens and an annual budget of $2.6 billion.

Jones earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration. Jones is running for the 2008 Georgia seat in the U.S. Senate .

According to Rogers the committee worked hard for six months to identify and confirm a speaker.

“We contacted a number of high profile individuals ... how ever their schedules simply would not permit their attendance,” he said.

Many graduating seniors were not even aware that a commencement speaker had not been selected as of Tuesday morning.

Kiera Fuell, criminal justice senior, said she was “shocked” and that the late selection made the school look “disorganized.”

Kiera’s mother, Linda Fuell, a member of the Charlotte NCCU alumni chapter, said she was also “surprised.”

“It is always difficult to select a commencement speaker,” said Carlton Wilson, chair of the Commencement Committee that includes representatives of all key areas of commencement planning.

In an April 14 e-mail Wilson wrote the following:

“The University must consider a speaker who is appropriate for the occasion, available, and affordable. Availability is a major issue.”

Last year’s commencement speaker was Attorney Timothy D. Proctor, general counsel for Diageo, a European distributor of the spirits, beer and wine company.

According to Iris Hicks, assistant registrar, about 1,000 NCCU students have applied for spring 2008 graduation.