Presidential tab: Priceless

DURHAM – Hosting two former Presidents isn't cheap.

The University of New Hampshire's May commencement cost $440,417, or more than three times the cost of last year's ceremony, which rang in at $134,660, according to figures provided to the New Hampshire Union Leader.

►41+42 equals 1 big day at UNH

UNH officials said yesterday the extra money for commencement came entirely from private donations and no public funds or tuition money were used.

Much of the added expense went toward extra security for keynote speakers and former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton as well as for accommodating the larger than usual crowds who came to watch.

UNH spokeswoman Kim Billings said yesterday the added cost was well worth it for the sort of exposure it provided the school as well as the once-in-a-lifetime experience it gave graduates and their friends and families. She also noted that the entire ceremony went off without a hitch, a rarity for an event of its size.

"It was priceless," Billings said. "We didn't get one negative phone call; that in itself was a first."

Former Presidents Bill Clinton, left, and George Bush at UNH in Durham on May 19. (JIM COLE/AP)

Two former Presidents on campus required a major increase in security to protect both men as well as the crowd of more than 20,000, UNH Deputy Police Chief Paul Dean said.

Security ended up costing $57,693, about 10 times last year's price. The money was used to pay for the 182 police officers on campus for commencement and during the days leading up to it, many of whom were from the New Hampshire State Police and neighboring towns and required a special detail pay rate, Dean said. Normally there would be 40 to 50 officers at commencement, he said.

"The one thing you can't put a price on is people's safety," he said.

Dean also said security could have cost more if not for support from state police and vendors who donated items, such as use of a mobile command center and lighted signs to manage traffic.

Commencement costs went up in nearly every category UNH budgeted, from seating to parking and labor, but remained in line with projections. Billings said officials had been prepared for costs to reach $500,000.

Even small things ended up costing a lot, including the plastic bracelets officials issued to friends and families of graduates to get into the ceremony early. More than 32,000 bracelets were ordered. With the cost of distributing the bracelets and informing people how they worked, the tab came to $10,853.30. The large video screen used to simulcast commencement was also costly at $11,780.

The size of the event also meant a stage 40 feet wider than usual with a roof, a Secret Service requirement, for a total cost of $49,278. Last year's stage cost $5,353. Officials also added an extra 5,500 seats to accommodate extra guests, which cost $38,795, compared to $10,563 for last year.

Those numbers don't take into account how much it cost to assemble the stage and lay out the seats; that falls under the commencement budget's "equipment and labor" category, by far the largest at $148,994. The category also encompasses much of the prep work for graduation, such as landscaping, painting and cleaning.

One notable category was "commencement speaker expenses," which cost nothing this year as the two Presidents paid their own way to get to UNH and spoke for free, a major savings considering a high-profile speaker such as Bill Clinton can command speaking fees in excess of $100,000.

In comparison, last year's keynote speaker, actor Mike O'Malley, cost UNH $1,500 for travel and lodging as well as car rental.

The extra expense for bringing in two such high-profile speakers also meant significant exposure for the university, Billings said. The graduation was covered by "ABC Nightly News," as well as ABC, CNN and FOX affiliates nationwide, equating to about 42.9 million viewers and an estimated $2.5 million ad value, she said.

Stories on the commencement also ran in over 300 newspapers across the country, she said, including The New York Times and USA Today.

"It absolutely was worth it," Billings said of the commencement expense.