David Gergen, editor-at-large at U.S. News & World Report and a past adviser to four presidents, will be this year’s Spring Commencement speaker.

“We are deeply honored to have David Gergen address our graduates,” Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee said in a press release. “No fewer than four presidents have depended upon his wise political analysis, broad historical understanding, and superb common sense. Without question, his insights at this time of great challenge and opportunity will enrich and enliven our Commencement ceremony.”

Gergen spent time working for former presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and then became the director of communications for former President Ronald Reagan. He later served as a counselor to former President Bill Clinton on both foreign policy and domestic affairs. Gergen also served as an adviser to former President George H.W. Bush during his 1980 campaign for presidency.

Although most of his political work has been with Republican administrations, Gergen said in a 1993 interview with The New York Times that he considers himself to be an Independent.

Gergen wrote a best-selling book in 2000 on his political experiences, titled “Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton.”

From 1983 to 1994, Gergen was the editor of U.S. News & World Report. He is now the editor-at-large for the magazine.

Gergen has also appeared on many television programs, such as “The Colbert Report,” “Anderson Cooper 360” and “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.” From 1984 to 1989, he was a political commentator with Mark Shields for the MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour on PBS. He now serves as a senior political analyst for CNN.

Today, Gergen is a professor of public service at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and is also its director for the Center for Public Leadership.

This won’t be Gergen’s first visit to OSU. In 2002, he gave a lecture on the future of leadership, and in 2007, he spoke to students at the Moritz College of Law.

Gergen received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University in 1963 and his law degree from Harvard University in 1967.

Spring Commencement will be held at noon on June 13 at the Ohio Stadium.