A couple of months earlier than usual, we officially know who will speak at spring commencement. The University Board of Regents approved ABC News reporter Bob Woodruff to be the graduation speaker at its last meeting. While some students will feel a letdown given that Woodruff doesn't match the star appeal and prestige of last year's speaker - former President Bill Clinton - they are overlooking what Woodruff brings to the table. As an alum of the University Law School and a prominent figure in international journalism who was a victim of a roadside bomb while on assignment in Iraq, he can offer a more unique and personal message to graduates while speaking from firsthand experience of an event that dwells on all of our minds.

It's unrealistic to expect someone of Clinton's caliber at every single commencement. But Woodruff's relevance as a speaker is not something to scoff at. An acclaimed journalist, Woodruff was one of the two people to fill in on "World News Tonight" for an ailing Peter Jennings. In his time in Iraq, he was deeply and personally affected by the war that has shaped and will continue to shape our world and our lives.

A 1987 graduate of the law school, Woodruff can direct his message specifically at Michigan students rather than simply present a form-written speech that could be delivered to any college audience. This ought to be a nice change from the usual "dream big, do what your heart tells you" graduation rhetoric. While last year's speech was important for graduates, Clinton spoke to the broader college community. That's fine, but the ability to connect to University students as someone who knows the atmosphere of this campus will make a difference.

In the past, there have been concerns that the University's speaker selection process started too late and left it at a disadvantage compared to its peer institutions. There can be no such concerns this year; the announcement of Woodruff comes three months earlier in the process than that of Clinton and six months earlier than that of the speaker two years ago, CNN foreign correspondent Christiane Amanpour. While these things are difficult to judge, it seems that the University made an effort to secure its speaker earlier so that it could get its first choice. This emphasis must continue in future years.

Another improvement this year is the winter commencement speaker, Francis Collins. The director of the Human Genome Project and a former University professor, Collins is a bigger catch than last winter's speaker, former Detroit Piston star-turned-businessman Dave Bing. The fact that even a commencement that is almost completely unpublicized will feature a speaker of Collins's caliber is a great sign that the University is making the appropriate effort.

Regardless of how students feel about who will give the address at their graduation, dissatisfaction with the chosen speaker should not be a deterrent to attending. Commencement is a celebration of the hard work and dedication that went into earning a degree, not merely a meaningless forum for celebrity peptalks. Even if you don't buy all this praise of Woodruff and Collins, missing out on your own graduation ceremony entails stupidity unbecoming of a Michigan graduate.