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U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden to speak at UD Commencement May 29

Joseph R. Biden Jr.
1:26 p.m., Feb. 23, 2004--U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., who is ranking Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a 1965 UD graduate, will speak at the University’s 155th Commencement exercises, scheduled at 9 a.m., Saturday, May 29, in Delaware Stadium on the Newark campus, Sharon H. Dorr, director of alumni and University relations, announced today.

The outdoor ceremony, which is held rain or shine, is open to the public.

“It is a pleasure to have one of the University’s most distinguished alumni and one of the most influential voices in American politics speak at our Commencement exercises,” Dorr said. “Sen. Biden, one of the most knowledgeable individuals on virtually every major issue of the day, will bring our graduates a rare perspective on the world.”

First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, Biden is known for his leadership role on foreign policy. As the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden is the Democratic Party's chief spokesperson on national security and foreign policy issues.

A strong leader on anti-crime and drug policy, Biden has been instrumental in crafting virtually every major piece of crime legislation over the last decade. He is the author of the Violence Against Women Act of 2000, which contains a broad array of ground-breaking measures to combat domestic violence and provides billions of dollars in federal funds to address gender-based crimes. Chairman of the International Narcotics Control Caucus, he also wrote the law creating the nation's "Drug Czar" who oversees and coordinates national drug control policy.

In 1998, he introduced a Senate resolution addressing the problem of binge-drinking on college campuses, and cited UD as a leader in efforts to solve the national issue.

He also is a strong advocate for protection of the environment. Biden’s work over the past 20 years has led to the end of federal control and the return to Delawareans of more than 1,180 acres of beach shoreline along the Delaware coast. In 2000, his decades-long efforts culminated with establishment of Delaware's first and only National Wild and Scenic River--the White Clay Creek Watershed--which will be preserved and saved from development for future generations.

Biden has been a staunch supporter of college aid and loan programs, and to prepare today's students to meet the technology challenges of tomorrow, Biden has undertaken initiatives in the Senate to close the "digital divide." Biden's "Kids 2000" legislation, signed into law by the president in October 2000, establishes a public/private partnership to help provide computer centers, teachers, Internet access and technical training to young people across the nation, particularly to low-income and at-risk youth.

Biden, who grew up in New Castle County, earned his law degree from the Syracuse University College of Law in 1968. Before being elected to the U.S. Senate, he practiced law in Wilmington and served on the New Castle County Council from 1970 to 1972. Since 1991, Biden has been an adjunct professor at the Widener University School of Law, where he teaches a seminar on constitutional law.

Biden lives in Wilmington and commutes to Washington, D.C., when the Senate is in session.

In 1984, he was inducted into the University’s Alumni Wall of Fame.

Information on the University’s spring Commencement and Convocation activities will be mailed to degree candidates and their families in late March. For additional information, visit the web site at [www.udel.edu/commencement] or contact the Office of Alumni and University Relations at (302) 831-8741 or via [AlumNet@udel.edu].

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