The University of California, Irvine, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in presidential fashion. President Barack Obama will be delivering the commencement speech for the class of 2014 graduation ceremony at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
The graduation will be held on Saturday, June 14 and will mark the 50th anniversary of university which began in 1964 with President Johnson speaking at the dedication ceremony reported the L.A. Times.
The University began their campaign to book the president as early as last April when they invited initially invited President Obama to speak at the event. In the following school year, a letter-writing campaign began and the students put together a video featuring center, Mamadou Ndiaye, of the men’s basketball team challenging the president to a one-on-one game reported ABC News.
The White House confirmed Thursday the President would speak at the event.
“We ate thrilled that the president has accepted our invitation to deliver the keynote address at our commencement exercises this June. We are proud of the progress we have made during the first half century and are looking forward to even greater achievements in the years to come,” said UCI Chancellor, Michael V. Drake.
In 2013, President Obama spoke at the commencements for Ohio State University, Morehouse College, and the U.S. Naval Academy according to The White House.
Photo courtesy of The White House