After the last class of the semester, Reading Day and finals, Commencement is the last opportunity students have to gather before leaving a place they have called home for the past four years. It is a time to honor achievements and spark future ambitions. This year’s Commencement speaker will be Shahid Khan, owner and chief executive officer of automotive manufacturing company Flex-N-Gate and University alum of 1971. On May 12, he will address students at the State Farm Center at 10:30 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. Despite the recent controversy that surrounded the violations at Guardian West, Flex-N-Gate’s plant in Urbana, Khan was chosen to speak for his inspirational story of success.

As a Pakistan native, Khan set foot on the University’s campus for the first time in 1968 at the age of 16. With just an admission letter and a $2-per-night room at the YMCA, Khan set out to make the most of his time at the University. He joined the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and graduated from the School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering with a BS in Industrial Engineering. Though his first job as an undergraduate was washing dishes for $1.20 an hour, he later began to work for Flex-N-Gate. After graduating, he was hired as the engineering director for the company and in 1980 bought Flex-N-Gate from his former employer, Charles Gleason Butzow. According to Forbes, the company was making $3.9 billion by 2012. Today, Khan is ranked as number 490 in the world on the Forbes Billionaires list and number 163 in the United States. 

“We selected Shahid Khan because he is an outstanding example of how far one can go in life when you combine educational opportunity with personal determination, creativity and plain old hard work,” Chancellor Phyllis Wise said. “This is a story that I think will resonate with our graduates and one that embodies the fundamental spirit of Illinois. We are proud to call him a member of the Illinois family and are excited that he accepted our offer to speak at the 2013 Commencement.”

As a member of the Illinois family, Khan and his wife Ann Carlson Khan have given back to the University. They donated $10 million to the Urbana campus to fund the creation of the Khan Annex, the newest north addition of Huff Hall. 

“While there is no official process for the selection of the Commencement speaker, the ultimate responsibility is up to the chancellor,” said Babette Hiles, director of special events for the office of the chancellor. 

“It’s kind of been a challenge to get someone who’s available, willing and able to give up a whole day and have the interest in giving a keynote two times,” Hiles said.

Nearly a year ago, Flex-N-Gate was cited with nine serious safety and health violations by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration following a December 2011 inspection. The company failed to monitor employees’ exposure to harmful chemicals such sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, chromium and nickel. This lack of regulation violated the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, which states employers need to provide safe and healthful workplaces for their workers. 

According to OSHA, four of the violations involved a lack of periodic medical examinations of workers’ body parts exposed to chromium and chromic acid. Other violations were related to not monitoring the average exposure to chromium for each employee, continually cleaning up chromium accumulations and providing information training on new hazardous chemicals introduced to the work area. Guardian West was fined with “serious” violations, which occurs when “there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known,”according to a press release. As of the December 2011 inspection, proposed fines total $57,000.

In response to the violations, “Flex-N-Gate has contested these citations and is being reviewed by an Occupational Safety and Health review commission,” said Scott Allen, regional director for public affairs for the U.S. Department of Labor and University alumn. 

Since the case is going through the appeal process, Allen was unable to comment further on the citations. Flex-N-Gate and Khan could not be reached for comment.

Due to the timing of the selection of the Commencement speaker, questions surrounding the controversies about Guardian West’s practices and other issues could not be fully addressed in Illinois Student Senate.

“Timing was such that the Senate had just one meeting before Commencement at which the nomination could be discussed,” Wise said. “A few senators had questions we could not answer in time to complete the nomination process and send a recommendation to the Board of Trustees.”

Though Khan’s company may be facing legal difficulties, Wise believes Khan’s journey post-graduation will be an inspiration for graduates. As an international student that came here from Pakistan, worked his way up to become a self-made entrepreneur and now donates to the University, his story and message got the Chancellor interested in having him speak, Hiles said.  

“We are honored Mr. Khan will be our speaker,” Wise said. “We feel he represents qualities that exemplify what it means to be a member of the Illinois family.”

Alice can be reached at [email protected].