It’s official: Joe Biden sets up connections with University of Delaware and University of Pennsylvania

Former Vice President Joe Biden will have a connection to both the University of Delaware and the University of Pennsylvania as a part of his post-election life.

In a coordinated statement between the two schools, UD announced the creation of the Biden Domestic Policy Institute. The Newark based university said it would focus on research and policy focused on public policy solutions.  The statement sited the former Delaware senator’s work in civil rights, criminal justice, and women’s rights. 

University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann in her statement announced that Biden has been named the Benjamin Franklin Presidential Practice Professor for the University.  He will primarily focus on diplomacy, foreign policy, and national security. 

The statement said the center will be located in Washington, D.C., but there would be a Penn campus office in Philadelphia.

“We’re very excited about this new relationship with Joe Biden, one of our most distinguished and loyal alumni,” University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis said in the UD statement.

Gutmann’s statement echoed praise for Biden and added, “His unsurpassed understanding of diplomacy and far-ranging grasp of world issues make him an ideal fit to further Penn’s global engagement.”

Biden added comments to both statements.  On the University of Delaware appointment he noted, “Everyday of my career in public service has been motivated by the desire to ensure that every American is treated with dignity and gets a fair shot.”  He added to the Penn announcement, “I look forward to building on the work that has been a central pillar of my career in public office: promoting and protecting the post World War II international order that keeps the United States safe and strong.”

The Biden family connection is strong at both schools. Biden and his wife Jill are graduates. He has spoken at 4 of the school’s commencement ceremonies.  The Penn connection features his late son Beau and daughter Ashley as graduates along with his grand daughter Naomi.

Biden has alluded to the partnership as his time as Vice President wound down last month during an interview with the First team at his Washington office.  Later at a ceremony for the University of Delaware National Champion Field Hockey team he talked about connecting with one school for his domestic policy work and the other for foreign policy.