Kids "aging out" of foster care in Mississippi. Elderly patients grappling with chronic ailments in Washington, D.C. Students in struggling schools in Chicago.
The lessons learned by the 60 participants in the inaugural Presidential Leadership Scholars program, co-sponsored by four presidential libraries, are being deployed to boost projects across the country. Six months of weekend sessions, co-sponsored by four presidential libraries, concluded in Dallas Thursday evening with a final conversation led by George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
On July 9, 2015, President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton spoke at the graduation of the inaugural class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars program, a partnership between the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. The 60 scholars include individuals from diverse backgrounds and geographies from a variety of sectors, including private, public, non-profit, military, and academia, who were selected because of their desire and capacity to strengthen their leadership skills.
Since February 2015, the scholars have traveled once a month to a participating presidential center to learn from former presidents, key administration officials, and leading academics. They studied and put into practice varying approaches to leadership, developed a network of peers, and exchanged ideas with mentors and others. They also developed a personal leadership project, intended to make a significant difference in their communities, across the country, or around the globe.
Presidents Bush and Clinton participated in a moderated conversation at the graduation ceremony. The event also included a conversation with entrepreneur Mark Cuban.
Former President Bill Clinton said Thursday night that George W. Bush was telling the truth when he told him last year that becoming a grandfather would make him fall in love all over again.
“[Last night], my granddaughter — 91/2 months old — for the first time when I walked to her room, [Hillary] said ‘Oh there’s your granddad,’ and she pointed right at me,” Clinton said. “That was worth more than anything anybody had said or done. … Everything you said about it is true.”
“Last night, my granddaughter spoke to me in Mandarin,” Bush said before the crowd, and Clinton, erupted in laughter.