Clinton to address RIT graduates in May

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A. Sue Weisler | photographer

President Clinton first visited RIT in 2005 at the invitation of trustee B. Thomas Golisano.

Seventeen months after his first visit to campus, President Bill Clinton will return to RIT to serve as keynote speaker for RIT’s 122nd annual commencement. Clinton’s address to graduates, their families and friends, and other members of the RIT community will take place during Academic Convocation at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 25, in the Gordon Field House and Activities Center. “President Clinton’s lifelong commitment to public service, including his tireless dedication to humanitarian and philanthropic activities since leaving the White House, offers inspiration to a new generation preparing to make its mark on a global society,” states RIT President Albert Simone. “We’re very honored to welcome the former president back to RIT, and we look forward to hearing his insights for our 2007 graduates.” Clinton’s address to the RIT community continues his friendship and partnership with B. Thomas Golisano, founder and chairman of Paychex Inc., owner of the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres and a member of RIT’s Board of Trustees. The two men were acquainted in 2005 through the Clinton Global Initiative, an outgrowth of the William J. Clinton Foundation that brings global leaders together to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

An invitation from Golisano resulted in Clinton’s first visit to RIT in December 2005. The former president made an informal presentation to students, faculty and staff following a tour of the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. The college was created through a gift from Golisano to the university in 2001. This year’s RIT commencement marks a sentimental milestone for the university. It will be the last one presided over by President Simone, who will retire on June 30.

Simone became RIT’s eighth president in 1992. “Al is such a dedicated and valuable part of our community, and President Clinton’s presence at RIT’s graduation ceremony this year is a great reflection of that,” says Golisano. “Based on the very warm reception President Clinton received during his last visit to RIT, I am sure this event will be fantastic.” RIT has welcomed four former U.S. presidents to campus. The others are Presidents Ford, Carter and George H.W. Bush.