U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders will deliver the University of New England’s 2024 commencement address in May.
“Sen. Sanders is an important part of the American political landscape,” said UNE President James Herbert in a release Monday announcing the news. “He is a tireless advocate for expanding health care access, especially to underserved populations. As Maine’s only medical school with a deep commitment to that very cause, we are honored to have him as our commencement speaker this year.”
The Vermont senator is in his third term in the Senate after winning reelection in 2018 and is the longest-serving independent member of Congress in U.S. history. He unsuccessfully ran for president in the 2016 and 2020 Democratic primaries.
The Biddeford university’s commencement ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. May 18 at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
