5-8-2007

Contact: Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385

Former President Clinton to speak at Ohio State's spring commencement

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will be the speaker for Ohio State's spring commencement, set for Sunday, June 10, at Ohio Stadium.
Approximately 7,500 undergraduate, graduate and professional students will receive degrees at the ceremony, which begins at 1 p.m. Graduates and guests can find complete information on the ceremony at http://www.osu.edu/commence/



"Ohio State is honored to welcome the former president to Ohio Stadium for this important celebration of scholarship," said President Karen A. Holbrook. "President Clinton is a prominent leader with extraordinary insight into the issues that our graduates will face, and I'm sure his words will be an inspiration."

Clinton was elected the 42nd President of the United States in 1992, and won reelection in 1996. During his tenure, the welfare system was reformed, the sale of handguns was restricted, environmental regulations were strengthened, and a massive federal budget deficit was turned into a surplus.

On the international scene, the Clinton Administration expanded international trade, intervened militarily to end "ethnic cleansing" in Bosnia, launched peace and trade initiatives in Africa and the Middle East, and promoted a framework for peace aimed at ending the strife in Northern Ireland.

Since leaving office, President Clinton established the William J. Clinton Foundation to confront some of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century at home and abroad. The Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative, a project of the Clinton Foundation, has expanded access to dramatically cheaper antiretroviral drugs to more than 500,000 people in over 60 developing countries. The Foundation is also focused on curbing climate change around the world and addressing the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States. The Clinton Global Initiative, an international conference designed to inspire action, has facilitated more than $10 billion in pledges to finance innovative solutions to a wide array of global issues.

Clinton served as governor of Arkansas, attorney general of Arkansas and as chairman of the National Governors' Association and the Democratic Leadership Council. He graduated from Georgetown University, studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and earned a law degree from Yale University.

Clinton visited Ohio State twice during his presidency. He delivered a campaign speech at St. John Arena on Oct. 29, 1996. The year prior, (Oct. 20, 1995), Clinton, along with a majority of his cabinet, visited Ohio State when the university hosted President Clinton's Midwest Economic Summit. Following the meeting, Clinton and vice-president Gore delivered a speech on the Oval.

Clinton was invited to speak by Ohio State's Commencement Speaker Committee, which is made up of students, faculty and staff.

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