Commencement at the University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame's annual commencement exercises are held each May, currently in the Notre Dame Stadium. The exercises award undergraduate and graduate degrees. Traditions. During commencement, the Laetare Medal is awarded. Notre Dame is known for inviting US presidents to deliver the commencement address, especially in the year of their inauguration. Six recent presidents have delivered the address, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Most recently, Vice President Mike Pence spoke instead of President Donald Trump, as the president was  visiting Saudi Arabia. Notre Dame leads the non-military university by most presidents delivering the address at commencement. Joseph Biden (who had previously spoken at commencement in 2016 as the awardee of the Laetare Medal) was invited in 2021, but could not attend due to scheduling issues.