Shalala to Deliver School of Nursing Spring 2018 Commencement Address
March 21, 2018
School of Nursing
Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna E. Shalala, will deliver the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing spring 2018 commencement address.
Dr. Shalala requires little introduction. Though perhaps best known as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services for eight years during the Clinton Administration, Dr. Shalala’s career has nevertheless held academia as its center. An accomplished scholar, teacher and administrator, she has led three institutions of higher education — as president of the University of Miami (2001-2015), chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1987-1993) and president of Hunter College of the City University of New York (1980-1987) — for a total of 27 years.
One of the most honored academics of her generation, she has been elected to seven national academies, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Education, is a Fellow of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and received more than four dozen honorary degrees.
A recognized expert in health and social policy, she was selected by President George W. Bush to co-chair the Commission on Care for Returning Wounded Warriors and in 2008 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian award.
In 2010, she received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights, which recognizes individuals for outstanding dedication to improving health and life chances of disadvantaged populations in South Africa and internationally. In 2011, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and in 2014 was recognized by the Harry S. Truman Library with the Harry S. Truman Legacy of Leadership Award.
Today, Dr. Shalala has returned to her post as Trustee Professor of Political Science and Health Policy at the University of Miami following a two-year stint serving as president of the Clinton Foundation, which she left in March 2017.
Spring Commencement for the Carolina School of Nursing will be held on Saturday, May 12 at 5:30 p.m. in the Dean E. Smith Center.