PORTLAND, Maine — Sen. Bernie Sanders will deliver this year's University of New England commencement address, school officials announced Monday.
"Sen. Sanders is an important part of the American political landscape," UNE President James Herbert said in a statement. "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 Portland-based university added the Vermont independent "has focused on bolstering the American middle class and narrowing the income and wealth gaps in the United States."
The school's 189th commencement ceremony will be held May 18 at 10 a.m. at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
Other Maine colleges that have announced their commencement speakers this year include Southern Maine Community College, which said earlier this month Gov. Janet Mills will deliver its address. The governor said she will touch on the state's new Free College Scholarship program.
"In just two short years, our tuition-free Community College initiative has empowered thousands of young people to earn a degree or a certificate and put them on the path to a good-paying job right here in Maine," Mills said in a statement. "I look forward to celebrating this year’s SMCC graduating class and the bright futures that await them here in Maine."
SMCC's commencement ceremony will be held May 19 at 2 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
The College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor also announced its speaker for its June 8 ceremony at the school will be Dr. Yuria Celidwen, a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley and a senior fellow at the Othering & Belonging Institute who specializes in Indigenous studies.