OU’S 2011 Commencement Address Speaker

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who also has served as Director for the CIA and President of Texas A&M University, will deliver the University of Oklahoma’s 2011 Commencement address on Friday, May 13.

 “Because of his crowded schedule and many responsibilities, Secretary Gates is rarely able to speak at Commencement ceremonies,” said OU President David Boren.  “It is a great honor for our University for him to be with us.  He is one of the leading American statesmen of the 20^th and 21^st centuries, having served in critical positions under eight presidents of both political parties.  As Secretary of Defense, he is playing a key role in dealing with America’s most pressing national security challenges around the world.”

Gates joined the Central Intelligence Agency in 1966 and spent nearly 27 years as an intelligence professional prior to assuming his current position. During that period, he spent nearly nine years at the National Security Council and the White House, serving four presidents of both political parties.

He was director of Central Intelligence from 1991 until 1993. He is the only career officer in the CIA’s history to rise from entry-level employee to director.  He served as deputy director of Central Intelligence from 1986 to 1989 and as assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser at the White House from Jan. 20, 1989, until Nov. 6, 1991, for President George H.W. Bush.

Gates was sworn in as the 22^nd Secretary of Defense on Dec. 18, 2006. He is the only Secretary of Defense in U.S. history to be asked to remain in that office by a newly elected president. President Barack Obama is the eighth president Secretary Gates has served.

Under Presidents Bush and Obama, Secretary Gates has been tasked with winding down the war in Iraq and curbing the surging violence in Afghanistan, helping to draft America’s response to the dramatic changes in the Middle East and with implementing the end of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the military.

He was also given another big challenge: reforming the Pentagon during this new era of fiscal restraint and rebalancing priorities so that there is proper focus not only on preparing for future conflicts but also ensuring the military has what it needs to succeed in current conflicts.

Secretary Gates is proudest of his efforts to save lives and protect U.S. soldiers, whom he cares for as if they were his sons and daughters.

Prior to assuming the position of Secretary of Defense, he served Texas A&M University as interim dean of the George Bush School of Government and Public Service from 1999 to 2001 and then as president.

Secretary Gates has been awarded the National Security Medal, Presidential Citizens Medal, National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal (twice) and the CIA’s highest award, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal (three times).

He is the author of the memoir, From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider’s Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War, published in 1996.

Gates has served on the board of directors and executive committee of the American Council on Education and the board of directors of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. He also has served on the national executive board of the Boy Scouts of America and is a past president of the National Eagle Scout Association.

A native of Kansas, Gates earned his bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary, master’s degree in history from Indiana University, and doctoral degree in Russian and Soviet history from Georgetown University.

Gates visited the Norman campus before as one of the distinguished speakers at OU’s first foreign policy conference in 1997. He is an honorary founding board member of the OU International Programs Center’s Board of Visitors.