David L. Warren, Ph.D., president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), will give the Commencement address at the University of Puget Sound’s 127th graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 19.
“Over the course of his distinguished career, Dr. Warren has been and continues to be one of our country’s most influential advocates for civic engagement, access and equity, and the transformative power of higher education,” said Puget Sound President Isiaah Crawford. “His legacy of service and commitment to social justice and generations of students will inspire our graduates as they embark on their own careers and look to use their education to address the challenges of today and tomorrow.” For his life of exemplary service to higher education, Puget Sound will award Warren the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters.
Warren has been a driving force behind national higher education programs and initiatives throughout his tenure at NAICU. He has co-chaired the National Campus Voter Registration Project since 1998 and spearheaded the Student Aid Alliance, an ongoing campaign of 50 higher education associations to expand student aid. He is also responsible for creating CampusCares, an initiative to gain national recognition for the community service and civic engagement contributions by America's colleges and universities.
Under Warren’s leadership, NAICU helps drive higher education policy in Washington, D.C. The organization shaped the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in 2008 and played a leadership role in the new GI Bill passage. Recently, Warren led NAICU in launching Building Blocks to 2020, a major effort to encourage and report on America’s private colleges and universities' role in achieving greater access to and completion of a college education.
After 25 years of service, Warren will retire in June. His address at Puget Sound will be among his final public remarks as president of NAICU.
Puget Sound’s 2019 Commencement Ceremony will be held on Sunday, May 19, at 2 p.m. The ceremony will take place in Baker Stadium. More information is available at pugetsound.edu/commencement.