Margaret Spellings, Former U.S. Secretary of Education, to Speak at Walden University’s January Commencement

Minneapolis—January 5, 2010—Margaret Spellings, former U.S. Secretary of Education and one of the nation’s leading experts on the competitiveness of the country’s workforce, will be the speaker at Walden University’s winter commencement on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 1:30 p.m. in Dallas. Walden will celebrate the graduation of more than 3,000 students at its 43rd commencement ceremony, to be held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel.

“Walden is honored to have Secretary Spellings address the impact that education can have on every child and on our nation’s prosperity. We look forward to having her share her insight, knowledge and experience with our graduates and guests,” said Jonathan Kaplan, president of Walden University.

Margaret Spellings, the U.S. Secretary of Education from 2005 to 2009, has been involved with education policy at every level, from the White House to the statehouse and from the college campus to the school board. Spellings led the effort to pass the American Competitiveness Initiative to strengthen math and science instruction to fuel American ingenuity and success. Under her direction, the Department of Education partnered with states to implement and enforce the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, which commits U.S. schools to bringing all students up to grade level or better in reading and math by 2014.

Prior to her tenure as education secretary, Spellings served as assistant to President George W. Bush for domestic policy, during which she helped create NCLB and crafted policies on education, immigration, health care, labor, transportation, justice, housing and other elements of the president’s domestic agenda. Previously, Spellings worked for six years as senior advisor to Bush when he was governor of Texas with responsibility for developing and implementing statewide education reforms and policies.

Spellings is the second former Secretary of Education to speak at Walden’s commencement. Richard W. Riley , Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education under President Clinton, addressed the graduates and guests in January 2008. Spellings will become the latest contributor to Walden University’s “Perspectives on the World” series, which brings distinguished speakers to university events to share their diverse global views with students, graduates, faculty members and guests. For more information, visit https://www.waldenu.edu.

About Walden University
For 40 years, Walden University has supported working professionals in achieving their academic goals and making a greater impact in their professions and their communities. Today, more than 36,000 students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries are pursuing their bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees at Walden. The university provides students with an engaging educational experience that connects them with expert faculty and peers around the world. Walden is the flagship online university in the Laureate International Universities network—a global network of 45 online and campus-based universities in 20 countries.

Walden offers more than 40 degree programs with more than 180 specializations and concentrations. Areas of study include: health sciences, counseling, human services, management, psychology, education, public health, nursing, public administration, technology and engineering. For more information, visit www.WaldenU.edu. Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.hlcommission.org.