Another Professor Biden? The VP plans to teach at Delaware

When he leaves office later this month, Vice President Joe Biden plans to stay close to home.

Biden will split his time between his alma mater, the University of Delaware, and the University of Pennsylvania. Biden provided details on his plans during a meeting Wednesday night, while hosting the UD field hockey team at his Washington residence. One of the players asked what he had planned for the new year. 

“My plans for the new year is hopefully I’m going to go and be on campus with you guys for a while,” Biden said. “My heart and my loyalty are with my alma mater, the University of Delaware.”

He went on to provide a little more detail, “In generic terms, teach a little bit and hopefully attract some, a lot of folks to the campus, do a lot of domestic policy and environmental policy.” 

Biden plans a similar relationship with the University of Pennsylvania, where he’ll focus on diplomacy, foreign policy and national security. While all the details aren’t officially hammered out yet, UD president Dennis Assanis hopes Biden’s presence will take Delaware’s public policy school to the next level.

“The Vice President’s heart belongs to the University of Delaware and to the state of Delaware,” Assanis said. “Emotionally there’s that connection, and we’re working very hard to make that emotional connection a real connection, we obviously like to involve him within the university as much as his time allows.”

Biden donated his U.S. Senate papers to UD in 2011. That collection includes all kinds of documents, including drafts of legislation and committee reports, along with what UD calls “other historical treasures.” The collection fills more than 1,800 boxes.