Date April 8, 2022
Media Contact

42nd U.S. President Bill Clinton to visit Brown for public event on April 26

The former president will join Derek Shearer, former U.S. ambassador to Finland, for a conversation on leadership, global politics in the 21st century, creative writing and more.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will visit Brown University for a conversation on Tuesday, April 26, at 5 p.m., as part of an annual lecture series held in memory of the late Brown student Casey Shearer, a Class of 2000 graduate.

After an introduction by Brown President Christina H. Paxson, the nation’s 42nd president will join Derek Shearer, Casey Shearer’s father and the U.S. ambassador to Finland during the Clinton administration, for a Q&A session on leadership, politics in the 21st century, creative writing and other topics.

Headshot of Bill Clinton
Photo courtesy of the Clinton Foundation

First elected to the presidency in 1992, Clinton was the first Democratic president in six decades to be elected twice. He led the country to the longest economic expansion in American history, including the creation of more than 22 million jobs.

After leaving the White House, he established the Clinton Foundation to continue working on the causes he cared about. Since its founding, the foundation has endeavored to help build more resilient communities by developing and implementing programs that improve people’s health, strengthen local economies and protect the environment.

President Clinton, having known Casey Shearer from infancy, was the featured speaker at the memorial service held at Brown in 2000 celebrating Shearer’s life.

The annual Casey Shearer Memorial Lecture, hosted by Brown in collaboration with the Goldway/Shearer family, was established in memory of Casey Shearer, a promising young writer and aspiring sportscaster who died in May 2000, days before he was set to graduate from Brown. Previous speakers have included filmmakers Ezra Edelman and Rory Kennedy; Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Joe Morgenstern; New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman; ABC analyst Cokie Roberts; NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson; food activist Curt Ellis; and writer Pico Iyer, among others.

The conversation will be preceded by a presentation of the annual Casey Shearer Memorial Awards for Excellence in Creative Nonfiction.

The April 26 event will take place at 5 p.m., both in-person on the Brown campus and on the web via a livestream. The in-person event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required, and in-person attendees must present a ticket and Brown or government-issued photo ID at the door. Exact location information will be provided upon registration. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m.

Attendees must comply with all University COVID-19 policies and protocols in place at the time of the event. For more information, please visit https://policy.brown.edu/policy/covid-19.

For tickets and more information, visit www.brown.edu/caseyshearer.

News Media Access

Media credentials will be reserved exclusively for journalists working on assignment for credentialed professional news organizations. Space is limited, and the University will limit the total number of credentials awarded.

Members of the news media who wish to cover Bill Clinton’s visit to Brown in-person must request credentials from Brown’s Office of University Communications no later than 12 noon Eastern on Monday, April 25. Please send requests to [email protected] with the professional news organization’s name along with the journalist’s name, telephone number and email address.

For requests that are granted, credentials will be made available for pickup on the Brown campus in advance of the event.

About the Casey Shearer Memorial Lecture

Casey Shearer wearing sunglasses and looking at a beach
Casey Shearer died in May 2000, days before he was set to graduate from Brown.

The annual Casey Shearer Memorial Lecture, hosted by Brown in collaboration with the Goldway/Shearer family, was established in memory of Casey Shearer, a promising young writer and aspiring sportscaster who died in May 2000, days before he was set to graduate from Brown.

Shearer was a vibrant and talented member of the Brown community. An economics concentrator, he also studied Spanish, political science and literature, and helped to revive Brown Student Radio. He was best known on campus as the station’s play-by-play sports announcer and as the author of the weekly sports column “On the Case,” published in the College Hill Independent. Shearer was a member of the economics honor society and received his magna cum laude pin the Friday before he was to graduate. That same day, during a regular pickup game of basketball, Shearer’s heart stopped and he collapsed. Four days later, he died of an undetected heart virus, two months before his 22nd birthday.

Shearer was born and raised in Santa Monica, California, where his mother, Ruth Goldway, once served as mayor. He graduated from high school in Finland, where his father, Derek Shearer, an Occidental College professor, served as U.S. ambassador. Prior to the lecture, the winners of the annual Casey Shearer Memorial Award for Excellence in Creative Nonfiction are announced.