Dr. William G. Durden, President Emeritus of Dickinson College, to Speak at Walden University’s Summer Commencement

Dr. William G. Durden

Minneapolis—June 17, 2015—Dr. William G. Bill Durden, a Fulbright Scholar, distinguished educator and internationally respected leader in higher education, will be the keynote speaker at Walden University's summer commencement on July 11, 2015, in National Harbor, Maryland. Dr. Durden is president emeritus of Dickinson College, joint professor (research) in the Graduate School of Education at the Johns Hopkins University, and dean of the Global Venture School of Business and Entrepreneurship at Bath Spa University in Bath, England.

We are honored to have Dr. Durden join us. He is a distinguished leader who exemplifies the power to impact positive change in education and learning across the globe. I know our community of change-makers welcomes his messages of inspiration and motivation at this important milestone in their educational journey, said Jonathan Kaplan, interim president of Walden.

President of Dickinson College from 1999 to 2013, his previous academic experience includes serving as a member of the German department at the Johns Hopkins University and as executive director of the Center for Talented Youth for 16 years. During his tenure at Johns Hopkins, he was also a senior education consultant to the U.S. Department of State for 11 years and chaired the Advisory Committee on Exceptional Children and Youth.

He served from 2004 to 2014 as chair of the advisory board of the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (the senior Fulbright program) and as a member of the board of trustees of the Institute of International Education. He is a board member of Walden University and the Santa Fe University of Art and Design. He previously served on The Washington Center’s Council of Presidents and is currently a trustee of Richmond—The American International University in London. He also serves on the board of directors for SquashWise, an organization dedicated to helping inner-city Baltimore youth obtain advanced education.

Dr. Durden is a recognized expert on a broad range of topics in education and has written several publications, including his most recent book Living on the Diagonal and Other Selected Writings. He earned his undergraduate degree in German and philosophy from Dickinson College and MA and PhD degrees in German literature and language from the Johns Hopkins University. Directly following his graduation from Dickinson, he was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Basel, Switzerland. He has also studied in Germany at the University of Freiburg and the University of Münster.

The Walden University community gathers to honor its graduating students twice a year at summer and winter commencement ceremonies. The 2015 summer commencement ceremony can be viewed live via webcast starting at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, July 11, at www.WaldenU.edu.

About Walden University
For 45 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 47,800 students from all 50 states and more than 150 countries are pursuing their bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees online at Walden. The university provides students with an engaging educational experience that connects them with expert faculty and peers around the world.

Walden offers more than 80 degree programs with more than 370 specializations and concentrations. Areas of study include health sciences, counseling, human services, management, psychology, social work, education, public health, nursing, public administration and information technology. Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. For more information, visit www.WaldenU.edu.

Walden is the flagship online university in the Laureate International Universities network—a global network of more than 80 campus-based and online universities in 29 countries. For more information, visit www.laureate.net.