George W. Bush to Speak at SMU Graduation
Today in things that fill me with envy, former U.S. President George W. Bush will be the keynote speaker at SMU’s May 16 commencement ceremony at Moody Coliseum.
“This commencement is especially noteworthy because 2015 is the 100-year anniversary of SMU’s opening,” SMU president R. Gerald Turner said.”So it is fitting that we should hear from a president who led our nation and the world during historic times and is a valued member of the campus community.”
President Bush also gave the commencement address at SMU in 1999 when he was governor. He is the first speaker to complete a second commencement address at SMU.
As many know, former first lady Laura Bush is a graduate of SMU, and President Bush’s library is located on SMU’s campus. Turner estimates that 700,000 people have visited SMU through the presidential center.
President Bush received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and his MBA from the Harvard Business School — which is appropriate, because SMU’s colors are Harvard Red and Yale Blue.
As a side note, I graduated in 2011 — the centennial of the university’s founding — and got U.S. Senator John Cornyn as a commencement speaker. So pony up, everyone.
