Ajit Pai '97: Commencement Address at Pepperdine Law
School of Law Commencement 2019
REMARKS OF FCC CHAIRMAN AJIT PAI
AT THE PEPPERDINE SCHOOL OF LAW COMMENCEMENT
MALIBU, CA
MAY 17, 2019
Good morning, Pepperdine! How’s everybody doing today? Thank you to President Benton for this tremendous honor.Thank you to Professor Boliek, or should I say Chief Economist Boliek, for your kind words. And, finally, I cannot accept this honorary degree without thanking Lori Loughlin for making that $500,000 donation to Pepperdine in my name. Aunt Becky came through!
Joking aside, let’s give a round of applause to President Benton on the occasion of his final commencement ceremony. President Benton and I bonded backstage over the fact that we are both Kansas natives. I won’t bore you with our stories about home. I’m saving that for the post-graduation luncheon.
Make some noise for your professor and my colleague Babette Boliek. Professor Boliek has been a tremendous addition to our team. Now that I’m seeing what she’s given up to be at the FCC, I am even more grateful for her service ... even if it raises questions about her judgement.
Congratulations to incoming President Gash. Funny coincidence: The summer after my third year of law school, I worked at Kirkland and Ellis in Los Angeles. One of the lawyers there was none other than Jim Gash. I’m happy to report that I finally have that memo you asked for.
Finally, and most importantly, congratulations to the Pepperdine Law Class of 2019. It is an honor to be with you on this special occasion at this special place. I still can’t believe this is really a law school. For me, going to law school on the water meant a frozen Lake Michigan. Pepperdine feels more like a set from The Bachelor than a law school. Spoiler alert: Everyone is getting a rose today.
A video of this address can be watched here.
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