Speaking at Syracuse University for the second time this academic year, Vice President Joe Biden delivered the keynote address at the College of Law convocation.

Biden’s speech focused on the loyalty of the law school as he spoke in front of an excited Carrier Dome crowd. Here are three quick takeaways from Biden’s address.

When talking about his late son, Biden was emotional

It’s been about a year since Beau Biden, Joe Biden’s son, died of brain cancer at age 46. Beau Biden, an SU alumnus, delivered the convocation address for the College of Law in 2011. When speaking about his son Friday, Joe Biden was very emotional and his voice boomed to a near yell. Biden reflected on the life of his son and told a story of how Beau joked that he was there during the heaviest snowfall Syracuse had ever seen.

“The affection for the Syracuse law school runs deep in the Biden family,” Biden said.

Biden still has strong connections to SU

Throughout his speech, Biden highlighted different professors and administrators from his time at the university. He told stories and made jokes about his time at SU. He’s been a frequent guest at major SU events recently, attending the men’s basketball Final Four in Houston earlier this year while speaking at various SU events, including commencement.

No mention of online-only JD program

SU announced in April that it was partnering with 2U to create an online, hybrid juris doctor program, the first of its kind for 2U. While the discussion for the program had been going on for about two years, some College of Law faculty, staff and students felt blindsided by the move and worry the program might diminish the prestige of the law school. Biden is the College of Law’s most prestigious alumnus, but he didn’t include anything about the program in his speech. He has yet to make any public statements about the online JD program.

Published on May 13, 2016 at 3:02 pm

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