President Barack Obama to deliver Rutgers commencement address

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (WPVI) -- President Barack Obama will deliver remarks to more than 12,000 graduating students and 40,000 guests at Rutgers University's 250th anniversary commencement ceremony on the New Brunswick Campus, school officials announced Thursday.

"We are delighted that President Obama has chosen to address our graduates at this year's historic commencement," Rutgers University President Robert Barchi said.

This will be the first time in school history that a sitting president has agreed to speak at commencement.

"President Obama's decision is a testament to the enthusiastic efforts of Rutgers students, faculty, staff and alumni, as well as members of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation, who sent numerous messages to the White House urging the president to join our 250th anniversary graduation ceremony," Barchi said.

President Obama will deliver his remarks during the Rutgers University-New Brunswick Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 15, at 12:30 p.m. at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway.

The graduates represent 22 academic units from Rutgers-New Brunswick and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and are scheduled to receive their academic degrees. More than 52,000 are expected to attend the ceremony, rain or shine.

Since granting its first degree in 1774, Rutgers has awarded more than 550,000 academic degrees.

Established in 1766, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is America's eighth oldest institution of higher learning. It enrolls more than 67,000 students each year.