Joe Biden, vice president of the United States, will deliver the commencement address to the Syracuse University class of 2009. The joint commencement with the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry will be May 10 in the Carrier Dome.

Since 1965, no sitting vice president has given the commencement speech at SU. No sitting president has ever delivered an SU commencement speech. Biden became the 47th vice president of the United States in January with the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Biden, a 1968 alumnus of SU’s College of Law, gave the keynote address for the SU Law Commencement in 1994, 2002 and 2006. He also delivered the keynote speech at the College of Law’s Centennial Celebration in 1995.

‘It’s a true honor to be invited back to Syracuse University,’ Biden said in a news release. ‘The University and entire Syracuse community have meant so much to me in my life, and I look forward to being a part of the Orange’s 2009 graduation festivities.’

Born in Scranton, Pa., Biden lived there for 10 years before moving to Delaware, where he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972. Biden served on the Foreign Relations Committee, a chief reason President Obama tapped him as his running mate on Aug. 22, 2008.

‘We feel so fortunate to have Vice President Biden making this historic visit to our University to share his message about the world with our graduates,’ said SU Chancellor Nancy Cantor. ‘Vice President Biden is playing a critical role at a critical time for our nation and the world, bringing his extensive expertise in foreign policy, his deep personal connection to struggling families and his wisdom cultivated by so many years of engagement as a public servant. Vice President Biden represents the best of Syracuse University, and who better to send off our spectacular 2009 graduating class?’

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blbump@syr.edu

Published on March 3, 2009 at 12:00 pm