Bill Clinton, former Arkansas governor and 42nd president of the United States, will deliver the keynote address at the school that bears his name on Saturday, May 2, in Little Rock.
The University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, which Clinton founded, will graduate its 20th class. The Class of 2026 includes roughly 60 students. The Clinton School is the first graduate school in the nation to offer a Master of Public Service (MPS) degree. More than 700 have graduated with an MPS degree from the school since it opened in 2004.
The ceremony is not open to the public, but it will be live-streamed on YouTube.
“We are deeply honored to welcome President Clinton to address our 20th graduating class,” said Dean Victoria DeFrancesco Soto. “As we celebrate two decades of bridging academic theory with real-world impact, there is no one better suited to inspire our graduates as they prepare to lead and transform communities across the globe.”
After serving 12 years as governor of Arkansas, Clinton won the 1992 presidential election and won re-election in 1996. Following his presidency, he created the Clinton Foundation and established the Clinton School at his presidential center in Little Rock.
Flagship programs include the Clinton Global Initiative, which has resulted in more than 4,000 projects and partnerships impacting more than 500 million people in 180 countries; the Clinton Health Access Initiative, which procured and delivered life-saving HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria medications to nearly 30 million people worldwide; and the Clinton Presidential Center and Library.
Clinton School graduates complete a curriculum featuring three distinct field service projects: a team-based project in Arkansas, an international public service project and a final individual leadership capstone. Graduates of the Clinton online program completed a program grounded in critical analysis, the formulation of policy options and building stronger communities.
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