WILLIAM S. COHEN TO DELIVER COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS

William S. Cohen, 20th U.S. Secretary of Defense and the author or co-author of 11 books, including two books of poetry, will deliver the University of Oklahoma’s 2008 Commencement address on Friday, May 9. Cohen will receive an honorary degree at the ceremony, which will be in The Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, 180 W. Brooks St.

“Secretary Cohen is one of America’s most eloquent and insightful speakers,” said OU President David L. Boren. “He has had a broad range of experiences as U.S. Congressman, Senator, Secretary of Defense and in the private sector,” Boren said. “He will have a message well worth hearing by our graduates about the world in which we live and values by which to guide our lives.”

A noted expert on defense and international issues, health care, and government procurement, Cohen was first elected to public office as Mayor of Bangor, Maine, his hometown, in 1971. Two years later, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving three terms and thereafter 18 years in the U.S. Senate, serving on both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Governmental Affairs Committee and as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Cohen served as U.S. Secretary of Defense from January 1997 to January 2001, overseeing the largest organization in the United States and was responsible for reversing a decade-and-a-half of continuous decline in the defense budget and the defense procurement budget, which he increased by nearly 50 percent; the largest military pay raise in a generation; and adoption of electronic commerce and other best business practices in the defense department. In addition, under his leadership, the U.S. military conducted the largest air warfare campaign (Bosnia/Kosovo) since World War II and conducted other military operations on every continent. His term as Secretary of Defense marked the first time in modern U.S. history that a President has chosen an elected official from the other party to be a member of his cabinet.

Cohen has written or co-authored eleven books – four non-fiction works, four novels and two books of poetry. His most recent book, which was released in February of 2007, was co-authored with his wife, Janet, and titled, Love in Black and White: A Memoir of Race Religion and Romance. He also wrote Dragon Fire, published in August of 2006.

Cohen is the chairman and CEO of The Cohen Group, a Washington, D.C., - based business consulting firm, which assists multinational clients from all sectors of the economy to develop and implement strategic plans, identify and pursue business opportunities, manage risks, and overcome problems in quickly changing markets around the world. The Cohen Group has a strategic alliance with DLA Piper, the world's second largest law firm.
Secretary Cohen currently serves on the corporate boards of CBS and Head Sports, and on the advisory boards of Barrick Gold International and Harmony Airways. He is a senior counselor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and is the weekly World Affairs Contributor for CNN’s Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.
Cohen earned a bachelor’s degree in Latin from Bowdoin College in 1962 and a law degree from Boston University Law School in 1965. After graduating from law school, he earned partnership in a Bangor, Maine, law firm and later became an assistant county attorney for Penobscot County. In 1968, Cohen became an instructor at Husson College in Bangor and later was an instructor in business administration at the University of Maine.
OU’s Commencement will be moved to the Lloyd Noble Center, 2900 S. Jenkins Ave., in the event of severe weather.

For more information and accommodations on the basis of disability, please call the OU Graduation Office at (405) 325-3467.