2007 Commencement Speeches

Former United States President Bill Clinton delivered the Commencement address at Knox College on Saturday, June 2, 2007. As is tradition, President Clinton was awarded an honorary degree. The only other U.S. President to receive an honorary degree from Knox College was Abraham Lincoln, who was honored in 1860 prior to taking office.

Also receiving honorary degrees at Commencement were Janet McKinley, Board Chair of Oxfam America, a non-profit organization working to end global poverty, and Douglas Wilson, co-director of the Lincoln Studies Center at Knox College and one of the nation's leading Lincoln scholars. The senior class speaker was Benjamin Jacob Hollars.

Commencement Address
To experience President Clinton's full address, please choose from the following options:

Watch: Video

Read: Transcript of President Clinton's remarks

Senior Class Speaker
To experience Benjamin Jacob Hollars' full address, please choose from the following options:

Watch: Video 

Read: Transcript of Benjamin Jacob Hollars' remarks

Conferring of Honorary Degrees
To experience the presentation of Honorary Degrees to Janet McKinley, Douglas Wilson, and President Bill Clinton, please choose from the following options:

Read: Transcript of Presentation of Doctor of Humane Letters to Janet McKinley

Presented by Amy Singer, Assistant Professor of Anthropology/Sociology

Read: Transcript of Presentation of Doctor of Letters to Douglas Lawson Wilson
Presented by Rodney O. Davis, Szold Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History

Read: Transcript of Presentation of Doctor of Humane Letters to William Jefferson Clinton
Presented by R. Lance Factor, George Appleton Lawrence Distinguished Service Professor of Philosophy