Despite the protests of some students, GW awarded honorary degrees to U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and World Bank Group President James Wolfensohn Sunday. Certainly the institutions that Albright and Wolfensohn represent make controversial decisions and implement policies that are not always popular. However, these two are remarkable in their own right.

Albright, the first female secretary of state and the highest ranking woman in the Unites States government, formerly taught at Georgetown University, speaks several languages and is the daughter of a diplomat who adopted the U.S. as her home after fleeing post-World War II Czechoslovakia. Wolfensohn’s story is equally amazing. He represented Australia in 1956 Olympic Games, performed the cello at Carnegie Hall and is one of the few World Bank presidents ever asked to serve a second term.

Students arrived at GW understanding they would be in the thick of the national and international political arena. Everyone cannot and will not agree on issues like world debt relief and the role of human rights in a nation’s foreign or economic policy. Uniformity of opinion stifles the most essential element of democracy – debate.

The protestors who demonstrated against GW’s choice of speakers also engaged in a fundamental democratic tradition by exercising their right to voice dissent. But perhaps the protesters should have voiced their opinion by nominating Commencement speakers when administrators sent out repeated requests for student input. Unfortunately, very few responses resulted from those pleas.

The University enticed Albright and Wolfensohn to speak after years of attempts that were stymied by conflicting schedules. Continuing to host prominent figures at GW’s graduation ceremonies may stir debate in a town known for its disagreements. But let’s enjoy the glow of the national spotlight and embrace controversy as the democratic invigorant it is. Administrators tell prospective students that Something Happens Here. On Sunday, something did.