Introductory Speech

Presidential Lecture Series: George Shultz, April 19, 2016.

Good evening, I am Mitch Daniels, President of Purdue University. Welcome honored
guest, faculty, staff, and students to the latest installment of the Presidential lecture series. In this
series, I have introduced you to the best minds and brightest leaders from around the world.
Today holds no exception. Our very special guest tonight is renowned economist, Doctor
George P. Shultz. Born in New York in 1920, Doctor Shultz gained his undergraduate degree in
economics from Princeton University and went on to earn his doctorate in industrial economics
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1949. In between his degrees, he served with
distinction as a marine in the pacific theater during World War II (Biographies of the Secretaries
of State, n.d., para 2).
Doctor Shultz taught at three of this countrys great universities, the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, the University of Chicago, and Stanford (Board of Trustees of Leland
Stanford Junior University, 2016, para 1). He served under two U.S. Presidents in four cabinet
positions including Secretary of State under Ronald Reagan. (Biographies of the Secretaries of
State, n.d., para 1). As Secretary of State, Doctor Shultz was instrumental in bringing about the
end of the cold war (ibid., para 11).
Doctor Shultzs list of awards would take too long to recite here. The greatest of which is
the Medal of Freedom. Bestowed upon him in 1989, he earned our nations highest civilian
honor (Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University, 2016, para 8). His host of
publications includes his latest, Issues on My Mind: Strategies for the Future from which he will
share today (ibid., para 9).

Doctors Shultz joins us today not only to share from his decades of experience, his wealth
of knowledge, and his immense wisdom, but also to share his passion and his heart. With great
pride and honor, I present to you, economist, statesman, humanitarian, and role model, Doctor
George P. Shultz.

References
Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University. (2016). George P. Shultz: Thomas W.
and Susan B. Ford Distinguished Fellow [Webpage]. Hoover Institution. Retrieved from
http://www.hoover.org/profiles/george-p-shultz.
Biographies of the Secretaries of State: George Pratt Shultz (1920) [Webpage]. (n.d.). Office of
the Historian. Retrieved from https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/shultzgeorge-pratt.