Sherry Lansing: A Proper Commencement by a Proper Lady

With spring in bloom and summer fast approaching, an exciting and anxious time looms ahead for graduates. University commencement (the USC ceremony is pictured below) is right , around the corner and so in this post I have decided to put forth a nomination for someone who has achieved great success in my field of entertainment to receive an honorary degree at the University of Southern California. James Freedman, president emeritus of the University of Iowa and Dartmouth College said “In bestowing an honorary degree [of which there is a long tradition in American higher education], a university makes an explicit statement to its students and the world about the qualities of character and attainment it admires most.” He explains that an honorand who will speak at commencement must “celebrate distinguished and sublime achievement.” Many people are very accomplished in the entertainment field, but one individual stands apart because of her stellar success in motion pictures and charitable work. She was this year’s Academy Awards recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and my definition of an amazing woman: Sherry Lansing.

At USC degrees are awarded “[t]o honor individuals who have distinguished themselves through extraordinary achievements in scholarship, the professions, or other creative activities, whether or not they are widely known by the general public.” Sherry Lansing was born in 1944 in Chicago, graduated from Northwestern, and began her career in Hollywood as a model and actress appearing in Loving and Rio Lobo in 1970. She soon decided that acting was not her forte and took a job as a script reader that paid five dollars an hour. This unlikely decision turned out to change her life. Thanks to her talent and drive she quickly moved up at MGM from head of the story department all the way to VP of creative affairs. Lansing worked at Columbia as senior VP in charge of production, became the first woman to run a studio at 20th Century Fox in 1980, and then formed her own production company with Stanley Jaffe where they had great success with films like Fatal Attraction and The Accused. In 1992 Lansing was named chairman of the Motion Picture Group at Paramount (pictured here speaking as chairman) becoming the first woman ever to oversee all aspects of studio’s picture production. In twenty short years since coming to Hollywood, Lansing had become the top woman in the entire film world; definitely an extraordinary achievement in her profession and creative activities. As chairman she presided over a “roster of culture-defining films, including Forrest Gump, Titanic and Saving Private Ryan... The studio's long string of successful releases is attributed to Lansing's bottom-line approach … taking fewer risks by sharing costs with outside investors on tentpole releases.”

Lansing was passionate and driven; "If you don't wake up with something in your stomach every day that makes you think, ‘I want to make this movie,’ it'll never get made” she said. Passion is the key to success in whatever someone does and this is a message that needs to be driven home to graduates as well as a quality of “character and attainment” that USC admires and would want to align itself with. Lansing stood behind films she believed in even when “every studio turned [Fatal Attraction] down. Twice,” and persevered against rumors that her rise to the top was attributed to her popularity among men, rather than hard work. Lansing was unfaltering in her judgment and remained professional amidst the rumble and tumble of Hollywood. "This is a woman who focuses on what she's doing with great intensity and understanding," says Motion Picture Academy president Sid Ganis. "Part of why she's been so effective in the work she's doing now is because she… deeply believes in the causes she's involved with and people really respond to that.” This is something graduating students can learn from: the power of conviction. She never let herself be molded into what a traditional studio head would be like and held strong to her femininity, which is one of the reasons she was such a success. Sean Smith commented on this trait in an article entitled “The Goodbye Girl” to which Lansing laughed and replied, “I like to hug people. I don’t hug everybody, but I like contact. Part of being in the movie business is wanting to reach out to people, to connect.” These film achievements are reason enough to honor Lansing with a degree, however it is the second part of her life that makes her the kind of woman graduates could benefit from hearing. Retiring from Hollywood and leaving Paramount in 2005, continuing an already impressive list of charity work, Lansing created and dedicated herself to the Sherry Lansing Foundation (her foundations homepage is shown above), which works to raise funds and awareness for cancer.

Today, as Freedman acknowledges, many honorees are chosen not on the basis of merit but because of donations or monetary accomplishments, yet an honorary degree must be reserved for someone who has something more to share with the graduates, a message that they can carry on with them to whatever the future holds. USC has upheld the integrity of these degrees by choosing past recipients based on merit including Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa, Neil A. Armstrong, Robert Zemeckis, and John McCain to name a few. These men have all had “sublime achievement” professionally but are also respectable and giving people, something that Lansing also shares. I think it is important when honoring someone that they have achieved more than just business success, but have taken the time to give back to the community and contribute something the world can admire. Lansing not only meets this criteria, but is also spreading the message that philanthropy can be effective without an abundance of money, explaining “it’s about time, intelligence and vision. If you can think of a simple idea and be persistent, you can find someone who can give you access to someone who will fund it or do it.”

Another criteria for possible recipients are those “whose accomplishments might serve to highlight areas in which the university has developed exceptional strength.” Since USC is one of the top film schools in the country and is located in LA, the mecca of the media world, someone from the entertainment industry is a very fitting recipient for USC. Lansing extraordinarily rose to the top of a still very male dominated profession and made films with messages and stories (the popular film Fatal Attraction is pictured above) any aspiring film student would admire. However, while Lansing’s business has been the cinematic arts, I think her honorary doctoral degree would be most fitting in humane letters for outstanding citizenship, which will highlight both her contributions in entertainment and philanthropy.

Graduates face a tough world after leaving the university bubble, especially with growing concerns for this country’s image in the world. Young people need to believe that America can get back on solid ground and recover those beliefs and traditions that once made this country so great. Lansing, having broken so many barriers in her life and realizing the importance of giving back, could inspire young people to get out into the world and make it the place they want it to be. I think Lansing would address the world with hope and optimism telling graduates that you need neither great amounts of money or power to make a difference, only determination, compassion, and understanding. Even with the amazing accomplishments of Lansing’s lifetime, (she is shown here at the 2007 Governors Ball after receiving the Oscar) she was never someone who lived for winning and remembers a favorite night when Fatal Attraction was nominated for six Academy Awards; “We lost every single award, and it wasone of the happiest nights I’ve ever had.” Graduates need to recognize that success cannot always be measured by the end result, but in the battle a person fights to get there. Lansing is a great example of how a person can have professional achievement, keep integrity, and help those in need. Sometimes young people believe they will have to make a decision between making money and doing something that they love or that will make a difference, yet Lansing demonstrates that there can be a balance; “I always thought if I was lucky enough to achieve the dreams I had in the movie business ... that I wanted to give back.”

Inscribed upon Tommy Trojan (pictured to the right) are the ideal qualities for any USC student or member of the Trojan family: faithful, scholarly, skillful, courageous, and ambitious. Sherry Lansing is one of few people who could stand proudly next to Tommy as a shining example of the perfect blend of these qualities. She is an inspiration to many people in the entertainment industry and to me personally, and graduating students would be privileged to have such a fitting honorand.