Governor George W. Bush to Speak at Afternoon Commencement

Texas Gov. George W. Bush will deliver the traditional charge to graduates during Baylor University's afternoon commencement on May 16 at the Ferrell Center.
Bush, who will speak at the 3 p.m. ceremony, will also receive an honorary doctor of laws degree in recognition of his contributions to Texas as a private citizen and as a public servant. Baylor will also present his wife, Laura Bush, with the Alumna Honoris Causa award for her work in literacy.
Baylor President Robert B. Sloan Jr. will deliver the charge to graduates at the 9:30 a.m. ceremony.
Bush is the 46th governor of the State of Texas. He received a bachelor's degree from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Before being elected governor, Bush worked in the energy field, for his father's presidential campaign, and as managing partner of the Texas Rangers baseball franchise. He and his wife, Laura, live in the historic Governor's Mansion in Austin with their 16-year old twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna.
Laura Bush received a bachelor's degree in education from Southern Methodist University and a master's degree in library science from the University of Texas at Austin. She served as a librarian in the Houston public library system and at Dawson Elementary School in Austin. She has devoted herself to a number of causes, particularly in the fields of child welfare and literacy.
More than 1,200 Baylor students will graduate on May 16. Morning commencement will feature conferral of degrees for students in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School arts and sciences programs. The afternoon ceremony will include graduates of the Hankamer School of Business, School of Music, School of Education, School of Engineering and Computer Science, School of Nursing and Truett Seminary.
The Baylor Alumni Association will present the George W. Truett Distinguished Church Service Award and the Price Daniel Distinguished Public Service Award at the morning commencement. Dr. Tom Hanks, an English professor and the recipient of the 1998 Collins Outstanding Professor Award, will also be honored.