May's commencement activities officially mark the five year anniversary for William & Mary's Class of 2002. With all the fanfare generated around visits from Secretary of Defense Bob Gates and Queen Elizabeth II we decided to catch up with the featured speaker from the 2002 Candlelight Ceremony, distinguished Government professor Clay Clemens. He spoke with Class Reunion and Gift Committee member Jon Rogers.

JR: Thinking back to the 2002 Candlelight Ceremony, if our class had a reunion candlelight today, what would you tell us now that you didn't tell us then?

CC: The first thing I would tell you is not to invest in Enron, but in some things that were about to be invented called Facebook and YouTube: you'd all have made a mint by now, and our endowment would be through the roof. As for comments that I actually did make, the one that I would emphasize was the one about coming back to see us – especially if you had followed the advice in the previous sentence. As for any remarks from 2002 that I would omit given the chance, it would be my petty, vindicative sniping at the Sociology department for being boring. Instead I would make petty, vindicative remarks about the Econ department being boring.

"Don't be surprised if you see an 86 year old woman with a diamond tiara in the Leafe line." -Clay Clemens

JR: As the first class to graduate after the tragic circumstances of September 11, 2001, how do you think that the changing world during the last five years has shaped those leaving campus for the "real world"?

CC: Actually, on 9/11 it seemed the whole world would be different, and that we would be seeking new directions in just about every field – diplomacy, energy consumption, financial security, public health, law enforcement, etc. Measured against that, life for all of us is generally more "normal" than we might have thought – for better or worse – and College graduates are no exception. At the same time, interest in public service is perhaps if anything greater than before--and it was already high here. I remember we had scheduled an info session on State Department internships for mid-September, and after the attacks I thought a lot of students might have second thoughts – but the Reves Room was even more crowded than ever. And of course one group of student's expectations have never been the same since that time – the ROTC graduates who will be going on active duty. An ever larger number of them have served in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere as a result of events since your graduation.

JR: On our Commencement Day, United States Senator Lamar Alexander advised the Class of 2002 to "find the good, and praise it," any thoughts, especially considering his unique position in our country's foreign policy at a critical time in United States history, as to what Secretary of Defense Robert Gates '65 recommended to the Class of 2007?

CC: Especially after my Candlelight talk – the theme of which was more like "find the annoying, and ridicule it" – Secretary Alexander made a very compelling case. So too did Secretary Gates this year. He made a call for public service, and paid special tribute to those in the military. He ended with a moving quotation from John Adams in a letter to his son – and in fact seemed a bit choked up himself as he asked the graduates "will the wise and honest among you come help serve the American people?"

JR: Congratulations to the campus for a successful visit by Queen Elizabeth II. Was there a particular remark or part of her visit that you found to be timely for the graduates of the Class of 2007?

CC: Everyone was thrilled to see Her Majesty. She did not make any royal remarks to the crowd, but gave us the Queen wave several times. And of course thanks to her visit Blowout was stretched out over several days. Moreover, she was sworn in as a member of the Class of 2007 by President Jess Vance. So we fully expect to see Elizabeth back for Homecoming, maybe this fall but certainly at her five year reunion in 2012 – so don't be surprised if you see an 86 year old woman with a diamond tiara in the Leafe line.

JR: Finally, we noted that the rights to your NATO and the Quest for Post-Cold War Security has been optioned by Universal Pictures. Any thoughts on the casting for the central characters? [By the way, our Class would like to put in a small plug for Jeremy Northam, Clive Owen, or Colin Firth as Lord Robertson. Just a thought.]

CC: We are in negotiations with their agents and can't comment, but the special effects will be stunning, better than Spiderman III.