Former President Bill Clinton delivered the commencement address Friday at the Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship graduation ceremony in Rochester, attended by about 450 guests.
He told the students to embrace the opportunity to do something meaningful. "Whatever you do, I wish you every success," Clinton said. "But, this is one thing you get to define. You are in total control of how you keep score in your life."
Clinton is friends with Tom Golisano, the billionaire philanthropist and Paychex founder who established the institute as an alternative to a traditional four-year college education. Fifty-five students received credentials, including 10 from the inaugural cohort of the AI and Business program.
Golisano also spoke, recalling
the time five years after Clinton left office that he was invited to lunch at the Clintons' home in Chappaqua.
Boy, he's going to ask me for a big check, Golisano thought to himself.
Instead, the pitch was for the Clinton Global Initiative — a project bringing together business, government and civil society leaders to take on pressing challenges. Since then, the initiative has helped over 500 million people in 180 countries.
This is not the first time Clinton has made a visit to Rochester. The former president has come to the city several times over the years.
The Golisano Institute held its first commencement in August 2025.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bill Clinton tells Rochester graduates to define their own success
