Bill Gates delivered the commencement address at Northern Arizona University to celebrate the graduating class and highlight the institution's exceptional leadership in redefining the value of a higher education degree. He chose NAU because of its transformative institutional commitment—championed by university leadership—to prioritize student accessibility, affordability, economic mobility, and equitable postsecondary outcomes over traditional measures of institutional exclusivity. Gates praised the university's innovative academic reforms, robust transfer pathways, and dedication to serving diverse and Native American student populations.