NEW: 2nd Lady Jill Biden to Speak at Salve Regina Commencement
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Jill Biden, Second Lady to the United States, a 30-year educator and longtime community advocate, will present the commencement address and be awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters during Salve Regina University’s 61st commencement on Sunday, May 15.
The commencement will begin at 10 am on the oceanside lawn of McAuley Hall, Ochre Point Avenue.
The Biden/Salve connection
Biden and her family are close personal friends of Salve Regina University Trustee Nuala Pell and her family. Nuala is the wife of the late Sen. Claiborne Pell, who served 36 years in the U.S. Senate. Sen. Pell’s legacy is honored at the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy, which was established at Salve Regina University by an Act of Congress in September 1996.
The wife of Vice President Joe Biden, Jill Biden has focused her efforts as Second Lady to highlighting the importance of community colleges, raising awareness about the sacrifices made by military families and bringing attention to women’s health issues – including breast cancer.
Passion for education, a military mom
She also continues to teach English full-time at a community college, a timely association, as President Obama has asked Biden to help promote community colleges around the country and she works consistently on this outreach on behalf of the Administration. In October 2010, she hosted the first ever White House Summit on Community Colleges.
As a military mom, she understands first-hand how difficult it can be to have a loved one deployed overseas. She travels regularly to military bases in both the United States and abroad to speak with soldiers and their families, and to raise awareness for the special sacrifices that these Americans make.
Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama last week launched “Joining Forces,” a comprehensive national initiative to mobilize all sectors of society to give our service members and their families the opportunities and support they have earned. Biden has issued a national challenge to all Americans to take action and find ways to support and engage our military families in their own communities. Biden asks folks she meets to visit the web site serve.gov and share their stories about how they’re supporting those who serve us every day.
Biden has also been active with a nonprofit organization called Delaware Boots on the Ground, which is dedicated to helping families during times of military deployment by organizing community events to raise awareness and support.
