Former U.S. President George Bush will deliver the keynote address and receive an honorary doctorate during Spring Convocation at Elon College, April 10.
Bush served as the nation’s 41st president from 1989 to 1993. His term in the Oval Office was marked by the fall of the Berlin Wall and reunification of Germany, the Gulf War, the START treaties to dismantle nuclear weapons, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the revision of the Clean Air Act and the negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Bush’s appearance at the invitation-only event will celebrate the successful conclusion of the Elon Vision, a strategic plan launched in 1994 to ensure Elon’s position as one of the premier undergraduate institutions on the Eastern Seaboard. Under the 17-point plan, Elon has developed new academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, expanded faculty and technological resources, built a new library and science building, begun construction on a new athletics stadium, increased the quality of entering students, improved student graduation and retention rates, and increased the endowment. The $40 million Campaign for the Elon Vision has exceeded its goal. The convocation also recognizes the academic achievement of Elon students.
“We are pleased that President Bush will join us for this special event,” says Leo M. Lambert, Elon president. “His visit will give students a chance to learn more about his impressive record of service to our nation, and his presence will add to the celebration of the great success of the Campaign for the Elon Vision.”
In addition to delivering the keynote address, Bush will meet with selected students and faculty for conversation and to answer student questions.
Bush spent two terms as vice president during the Reagan administration. He was director of the CIA from 1976-77 and served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967-71.
A 1948 graduate of Yale University, Bush enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and three Air Medals for courage as a pilot in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.
Since leaving office, Bush has written two books, “A World Transformed,” co-authored with General Brent Scowcroft, and “All the Best,” a collection of letters written throughout his life. He has visited 56 foreign countries and all of the 50 states. He and Mrs. Bush have raised over $20 million for a variety of charitable organizations. He serves on the board of visitors at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and is honorary chairman of the Points of Light Foundation. Bush and his wife, Barbara, live in Houston and Kennebunkport, Maine.
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