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David Gergen, political analyst, public service advocate, and former presidential advisor, will deliver the 2016 Commencement address for Maryville University. He will be presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

“We are honored to welcome David Gergen to Maryville University. He represents a distinguished, thoughtful and reasoned voice on issues of our time. Our graduates will benefit from his wisdom and experience,” said President Mark Lombardi, PhD.

Maryville’s Commencement ceremony will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 7, at St. Charles Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo.

Now serving as professor of public service and co-director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, and as a senior political analyst for CNN, Gergen has worked as a White House advisor to four presidents: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. He is the author of the best-selling book, Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton.

In Gergen’s role at Harvard, he works closely with a rising generation of young leaders, especially social entrepreneurs, military veterans and Young Global Leaders chosen by the World Economic Forum. Through the generosity of outside donors, the Center for Public Leadership helps to provide scholarships to 90-100 students a year, preparing them to serve as leaders for the common good. The Center also promotes scholarship at the frontiers of leadership studies.

An active speaker on leadership, Gergen also sits on many boards, including Teach for America, the Aspen Institute, and The Mission Continues. He is a member of the Washington D.C. Bar and the Council on Foreign Relations.

For more information, please visit the Maryville University Commencement page.