This Saturday morning at 9:30 am, President Biden delivered the commencement address at his alma mater, the University of Delaware.
Before his remarks, President Biden was presented with the University of Delaware Medal of Distinction by John Cochran, chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees. The medal is one of the university’s highest honors and is awarded to those who have made humanitarian, cultural, intellectual or scientific contributions to society or have achieved noteworthy success in their chosen fields. The university’s president, Dennis Assanis, draped the medal around the president’s neck. Afterward, POTUS took a selfie with Assanis.
In introducing POTUS, Assanis called him “a loyal friend” of the university.
POTUS, wearing sunglasses and a blue robe with large black and gold stripes on the sleeves, took the stage at 9:41 a.m. as a band played “Hail to Chief.” He was greeted with loud cheers and a standing ovation.
“Yay, Joe!” someone in the crowd yelled.
The graduation ceremony is the only event on his schedule for today.
It’s 70 degrees and sunny in Newark.
The graduation ceremonies are being held in Delaware Stadium on the campus of the University of Delaware. Graduates dressed in blue graduation gowns and mortarboard caps were seated in rows of white folding chairs in the middle of the stadium, facing the stage. Guests were seated in the stands.
Number of graduates in the Class of 2022: 6,411
School founded: 1743
Mascot: Fightin’ Blue Hens
Motto: “Scientia sol mentis est.” (Knowledge is the light of the mind).
President Biden graduated from the University of Delaware in 1965 with a double major in history and political science. The university’s public policy school, the Joseph R. Biden Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, bears his name and houses The Biden Institute, an intellectual center and destination for scholars, activists, policymakers and national leaders.
This will be the fifth time President Biden has spoken at the university’s commencement. His previous commencement addresses were in 1978, 1987, 2004 and 2014.
First lady Jill Biden and the president’s sister, Valerie Biden Owens, also are graduates of the university.
