Obama to deliver commencement address at Howard University May 7

U.S. President Barack Obama will deliver the keynote address during the 2016 commencement ceremony at Howard University in Washington, D.C., on May 7. He will be the sixth sitting U.S. president to deliver a keynote speech at a Howard graduation ceremony.

Obama will address members of the Class of 2016 and their families, university trustees, officers, faculty, staff and alumni. Howard University will confer upon the president an honorary degree, Doctor of Laws, the university’s highest honor.

The address will be the third time in his presidency that Obama has delivered a commencement address at a historically black university. Much of his education agenda has focused on increasing academic achievement for students of color, including boosting high school graduation rates, slashing the number of drop-outs, and making higher education more affordable in order to boost college enrollment and graduation rates.

“It is an extraordinary honor and privilege for the Howard University community to welcome President Barack H. Obama to our campus to deliver the 2016 commencement address,” Howard University President, Wayne A.I. Frederick said in a press release. “The President’s commitment to education, especially for those who can least afford it, dovetails with Howard’s commitment to provide these same students with a rigorous, intellectually-stimulating, and academically-challenging educational experience.”

Obama will also deliver his final commencement speeches as president this year at Rutgers University and the Air Force Academy.

Source: Associated Press