Chief of Staff Headlines KSG Graduation

By Rebecca L. Stone

Contributing Writer

Andrew H. Card, Jr., the Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush, will deliver the commencement address to students at the Kennedy School of Goverment (KSG) on June 6th.

Card, who attended the KSG, will speak on "The Noble Call of Public Service."

"We are absolutely delighted that Andrew Card has accepted our invitation," said Executive Dean of the Kennedy School Bonnie Newman. "The Kennedy School's mission is to help educate public leaders and Mr. Card's background in public service exemplifies what we are devoted to."

Card has been active in government since he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1975. He served various positions in the administrations of President Reagan and President George Bush, including U.S. Secretary of Transportation. In November, Card was appointed Chief of Staff for President George W. Bush.

Past speakers at KSG commencements have included Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala and Reverend Jesse Jackson.

Joseph McCarthy, Associate Dean of the Kennedy School, said he expects Card will not address specific policy issues he might confront within the Bush administration but instead speak about "the rewards, tangible and intangible, of a career in public service."

"Andrew Card has a long and distinguished career in public life," said Dean of the Kennedy School Joseph S. Nye in a press release. "The breadth and quality of his work, both on the statewide and federal levels, is an inspiration to those students who aspire to the highest reaches of government."