President Bill Clinton Accepts Role as Honorary Chancellor of World’s Largest University Network
Glion Institute of Higher Education & Les Roches-Gruyère University of Applied Sciences announce that President Clinton will advise Laureate International Universities network on social responsibility, youth leadership and increasing access to higher education.
(Clarens/Switzerland – 27th April, 2010) – President Bill Clinton, founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States, has accepted the role of Honorary Chancellor of Laureate International Universities, the global network of leading private universities. As Honorary Chancellor, President Clinton will advise this group of universities, which includes Glion Institute of Higher Education & Les Roches-Gruyère University of Applied Sciences, in areas such as social responsibility, youth leadership and increasing access to higher education. He will also encourage civic engagement and youth leadership on important social issues during his appearances at university campuses and in print and online messages to the nearly 600,000 students in the Laureate network.
“Last year I had the opportunity to visit Laureate’s universities in Spain, Brazil and Peru to speak to students, faculty and the communities that they serve,” said President Clinton. “These private universities
exemplify the same principles of innovation and social responsibility in education that we worked to advance during my Presidency and now through my Foundation, and I am pleased to support their mission to expand access to higher education, particularly in the developing world.”
“We are incredibly proud to have President Clinton’s support in our efforts to boost education and employability
in the developing world,” said Douglas L. Becker, the founding chairman and CEO of Laureate Education, Inc., which operates the Laureate International Universities network. “We provide management,
technology and capital in order to create and support leading universities in underserved communities.
Through investment and innovation, many institutions in our network have become leading universities in their countries.
“Our objective is to achieve excellence in education on a global scale, and we believe that when we achieve this goal, communities benefit and nations prosper,” said Becker. “President Clinton’s advice and support as Honorary Chancellor will be an invaluable boost to our efforts, and we know from his visits to our campuses that our students find him to be an inspiring figure and a symbol of leadership and community service.”
“Glion Institute of Higher Education & Les Roches-Gruyère University of Applied Sciences
are proud to be members of the Laureate International Universities network,” said Arie van der Spek, Senior Vice President, Laureate Hospitality Education Europe. “We are so fortunate to benefit from the involvement in our network of President Clinton who is one of the great world leaders of our generation."
President Clinton has a long-standing commitment to education, both as governor of Arkansas and during
his time in the White House. In Arkansas, he promoted federal education policies that supported teachers, raised standards and increased test scores above the national average. While serving as the 42nd President of the United States (1993-2001), President Clinton’s administration made the biggest investment in education in more than 30 years, helping to expand access to early education, making higher education more affordable and accessible and improving the quality of learning in the United States by increasing the number of high-quality teachers, turning around failing schools and expanding access to technology.
After leaving office, President Clinton established the William J. Clinton Foundation with the mission to strengthen the capacity of people in the United States and throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence. Today the Foundation takes action on worldwide issues that urgently require solutions and measurable results– including climate change, HIV/AIDS in the developing world, childhood obesity and economic opportunity in the United States, and economic development in Africa and Latin America. Additionally, President Clinton works to engage college students through the Clinton Global Initiative University and supports schools in creating healthier environments for students and staff through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a partnership between the Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association.
In 2009, he was invited by the President of Haiti and the United Nations Secretary-General to serve as the U.N. Special Envoy for Haiti. After the Haiti earthquake in January 2010, at the request of President Obama, President Clinton established with President George W. Bush the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund to provide high-impact relief and long-term rebuilding assistance. In March, President Clinton was asked by the government of Haiti to serve as international co-chair of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, which will oversee reconstruction projects in the country.
About Laureate Hospitality Education
Laureate Hospitality Education is a unique and global group of institutions that provides hospitality, tourism, event, sport and entertainment management education to students from over 100 countries. It is comprised of 8 premium and leading institutions in 5 countries and 4 continents, thus offering the industry an amazing pool of talents. Schools include Glion Institute of Higher Education, Les Roches International School of Hotel Management and Les Roches-Gruyère University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland, Les Roches International School of Hotel Management in Spain, Les Roches Jin Jiang International
Hotel Management College in Shanghai, China, Kendall College in Chicago, USA, Blue Mountains
International Hotel Management School and Australian International Hotel School in Australia. For more information, please visit: www.laureatehospitality.com
About Laureate International Universities
Laureate International Universities is a global network of more than 50 accredited campus-based and online institutions of higher education offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs to nearly 600,000 students around the world. Laureate International Universities students are part of an international, academic community that spans 21 countries and more than 100 campuses
throughout North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. Laureate International Universities
offer more than 130 career-focused, undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree programs
in fields including architecture, art, business, culinary arts, design, education, engineering, health sciences, hospitality, information technology, law and medicine. For more information, visit www.laureate.net.
Media Contact
United States
Mrs. Debra Epstein
+1(0)443 627 7763
debra.epstein@laureate.net
www.laureate.net
Switzerland
Mr. Arie van der Spek
+41(0)21 989 26 63
arie.vanderspek@laureate.ch
www.laureatehospitality.com
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