Harrison Butker's speech a mixed blessing for Benedictine College | Opinion
Dave Layman is a former Providence news anchor, managing editor and long time political commentator for RIPBS and WCPT Talk Radio in Chicago. He is also a Benedictine Hall of Fame soccer player.
A small Catholic College in Atchison, Kansas − Benedictine College − has caused a media firestorm over the recent commencement speech of Super Bowl winning Kansas City Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker. His no-holds-barred 20-minute ultraconservative Catholic commentary instantly became a national and international story, evoking support but in many cases, stinging criticism.
It appeared many of the 450 graduating Benedictine seniors applauded his stirring remarks as a conservative Catholic and some gave him a standing ovation at the end. Butker’s highly charged speech offered widespread criticism of today’s Catholic Church which, in his view, has become far too liberal in recent decades. His scripted commentary lit the fuse on many of today’s controversial issues. Basically, he argued that a woman’s prime role is a homemaker/mother − not a corporate executive − and that men need to stop being emasculated. Butker spoke against abortion, birth control, in vitro fertilization, gay rights, among others. He was a “Catholic Jerry Falwell.”
More: Benedictine Sisters condemn Harrison Butker's speech, say it doesn't represent college
I watched the speech online. To say the least, I was shocked since I graduated proudly from Benedictine College in 1966 (known then as St. Benedict’s College). It was, and still is, a remarkable four-year educational experience. Decades ago, many of the professors were Benedictine priests. Some of them lived in our dorms as residence counselors who kept an eye on us. They were scholars but down to earth with a unique ability to relate to their students. They were smart, kind and tolerant, and humorously portrayed as “Jesuits with a personality.” I have always been proud to say I graduated from a small Catholic college in Kansas that no one had ever heard of! It was just a great place to be even if it was in the middle of nowhere.
In many respects it is a better college today. Steve Minnis is the longtime president of Benedictine who convinced Butker to be the commencement speaker on May 11. Steve has done wonders there, transforming the campus with stunning buildings, doubling the enrollment, earning prestigious national honors for the college and putting the once struggling educational institution on solid financial footing. That’s quite an accomplishment considering 15% of the higher ed campuses have shut down since Steve was brought in as president in 2004.
Last July, Steve met with me on campus for an impromptu casual one-hour discussion. As a former reporter and a curious alum, I asked him how he had managed to have so much success when so many other colleges were closing. Simply put, he said they were not spreading a wide net for new students. He figured out that there are students (and their parents) who want a good Catholic college education. So, the college has micro-focused on that sector and has been successful. So that might explain why Butker was chosen as their commencement speaker.
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Many of us older alums are shaking our heads about Butker’s intolerant remarks, remarks that even the NFL has generally disavowed. Butker’s “lecture” to the graduating class struck me as “white male privilege” coming from a 28-year-old NFL star and businessman whose net worth is in the millions. As a former journalist, I defend his right to speak as much as I disagree with most of what he said.
Yet, this stirring national and international publicity may be a divine gift for Benedictine that even Steve Minnis may have never imagined. The world now knows about Benedictine College − a marketing windfall worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
A final thought. As Benedictine College has changed over the years, I suspect many older alums like me are profoundly disappointed that the once tolerant and welcoming Benedictine College seems less so in 2024.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: A recent commencement speech by the Super Bowl winning Kansas City Chiefs placekicker has generated widespread criticism.
