Senator Clinton to Speak at Commencement

United States Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will speak at Buffalo State’s morning ceremony for undergraduates on May 6. SUNY Chancellor John R. Ryan will address the graduates at the morning and afternoon undergraduate ceremonies, and Buffalo Public School Superintendent James Williams will speak at the evening master's and C.A.S. ceremony.

Hillary Rodham Clinton was elected to the U.S. Senate on November 7, 2000. A strong advocate for New York State, she works with communities throughout the state to strengthen the economy and expand opportunity. She serves on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; the Environment and Public Works Committee; and the Special Committee on Aging. She is the first New Yorker ever to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Senator Clinton also chairs the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, responsible for communicating with the public about key issues before Congress.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Senator Clinton worked with her colleagues to secure the funds New York needed to rebuild. She fought to provide compensation to the families of the victims, grants for hard-hit businesses, and health care for frontline workers at Ground Zero. She continues to work for resources that enable New York to grow. She co-sponsored legislation enacted in 2004 to extend tax credits to communities in regions designated as Renewal Communities. She has sponsored conferences and business-development tours throughout the state aimed at attracting new investment, introduced legislation to increase access to broadband technology in rural areas, and serves as chair of the advisory board for New Jobs for New York.

She has continued her work for children and families by leading efforts to ensure the safety of prescription drugs for children; working to strengthen the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which increased coverage for children in low-income working families; and helping schools address environmental hazards. Senator Clinton continues to work to increase access to health care for all. She sponsored legislation to increase America's commitment against the global AIDS epidemic, and is now leading the fight for expanded use of information technology in the health-care system to decrease administrative costs and reduce medical errors.

Senator Clinton was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 26, 1947. A graduate of Wellesley College and Yale Law School, she is the author of several books, including her autobiography, Living History; It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us; Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids’ Letters to the First Pets; and An Invitation to the White House, as well as numerous articles.

Former U.S. Navy Vice Admiral John Ryan was named chancellor of the State University of New York, the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the nation, by the SUNY Board of Trustees in December 2005 after serving as acting chancellor.

Earlier, Chancellor Ryan served effectively for seven years as president of three different institutions of higher education. At the State University of New York Maritime College, he created the National Institute for Leadership and Ethics and helped to obtain $1 million in seed money to establish the New York State Strategic Center for Port and Maritime Security.

In February 2004, the Board of Trustees named him interim president of the University at Albany. In an unusual move, he lived in the student dormitory during his presidency and contributed the first three months of his Albany salary for student scholarships. Earlier, from 1998 to 2002, Chancellor Ryan served as the 56th superintendent (president) of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Chancellor Ryan graduated from the United States Naval Academy in June 1967. He received a master of science in administration from the George Washington University, Washington, D.C., in 1975. He has also completed the Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

James Williams, superintendent of the Buffalo Public Schools, received his master of arts in counseling psychology from the University of the District of Columbia and his Ed.D. in administration and curriculum from the George Washington University. After serving in a variety of administrative positions for the Washington, D.C., public schools, he joined the Dayton Public Schools in Ohio as assistant superintendent for intermediate/secondary instruction, and subsequently became deputy superintendent and superintendent of schools. He also served the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland as the deputy superintendent of schools before becoming the chief academic officer for the Community Education Partners, a company that works in partnership with public schools and the community to get low-performing students back on track.

Throughout his career, Dr. Williams has distinguished himself as an outstanding educator. His many awards and honors include the Richard R. Green Award, Urban Educator of the Year, awarded by the Council of the Great City Schools; Presidential Citation, Distinguished Alumni Award, National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education; Danforth Fellow; Peter F. Drucker Foundation, Frances Hesselbein Community Innovation Fellow; and Omega Psi Phi, Citizen of the Year (named twice).

Dr. Williams is known for his work in curriculum and instruction, and his contributions include more than 100 presentations and publications.

back to top