Donald Graham to Speak at Trinity Commencement, Saturday, May 19, 2018
Former Chairman and Publisher of The Washington Post and Founder of TheDream.US Scholarship Fund Will Receive an Honorary Doctor of Letters
Trinity Washington University will present an honorary doctor of letters to Donald Graham at Commencement on Saturday, May 19, 2018, in recognition of his lifetime of achievement, his commitment to making higher education accessible to thousands of students, and for his advocacy of Dreamers and D.C. students. Graham, the former chairman and publisher of The Washington Post and the founder of TheDream.US Scholarship Fund, will be the featured speaker at Trinity’s 115th Commencement. The ceremony begins at 11:00 am and more than 250 undergraduate and graduate degrees will be awarded.
“Globally renowned as a newspaper publisher and business leader, Don Graham’s legacy would have been more than secure through his lifetime of work,” said President McGuire. “But beyond his professional achievements, Mr. Graham has made his greatest mark on college students. In 1999 he launched the D.C. College Access Program (D.C. CAP) to parallel the federally-funded D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program (D.C. TAG). Thanks to Mr. Graham’s leadership, tens of thousands of D.C. residents have enrolled in college during the last two decades, including several thousand Trinity students.”
“Turning his sights to national collegiate challenges, Mr. Graham learned of the exclusion of undocumented students from federal financial aid programs, preventing thousands of outstanding young people from achieving college degrees,” said President McGuire. “In 2014 Mr. Graham organized national business leaders to create a unique scholarship program for Dreamers. TheDream.US has supported several thousand undocumented students across the nation, including nearly 100 Dreamers at Trinity. The first class of Trinity Dreamer Scholars graduates in May 2018.”
A graduate of Harvard University, Donald Graham served in the Vietnam War and then as a D.C. police officer. He was a beat reporter for the Washington Post before moving into the executive ranks of the newspaper as publisher and chairman. He was the lead director of Facebook and a member of the Pulitzer Prize board, among many other endeavors. Today, he is chairman of Graham Holdings, a diversified media and education business.
“Mr. Graham is a tireless advocate for Dreamers, for D.C. students and for the idea that a great college education can truly change lives, ” said President McGuire. “For his lifetime of achievement, his powerful leadership and generosity for thousands of students, Trinity is very pleased to present Donald Graham an honorary degree and hear his inspiring words to our graduates.”
- Graduates and guests: Read more details about Commencement on Saturday, May 19.
- Trinity’s Commencement ceremony will be live streamed here.
Media: Contact Ann Pauley, Media Relations, pauleya@trinitydc.edu , 202-884-9725.