Former Vice President Joe Biden and the University of Delaware have officially announced their partnership. It comes in the form of the Biden Domestic Policy Institute.

UD sent out a press release Tuesday morning detailing the news. Biden is to serve as the founding chair of the Biden Institute, a research and policy center aimed towards “developing public policy solutions on issues ranging from economic reform and environmental sustainability to civil rights, criminal justice, women’s rights and more,” according to the release. (This news comes after speculation that Biden was heading to Penn, which he will also be doing, it turns out. Penn announced that Biden will have an office on campus in Philadelphia as part of its new Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement.)

In the press release, Biden offered that “every day 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. I am happy to continue that work at my alma mater, a place that is stamped on my heart. I look forward to working with a top-notch policy staff at the Biden Institute to continue the hard work of developing public policy to benefit American families.”

UD President Dennis Assanis said that the UD community is “very excited about this new relationship with Joe Biden, one of our most distinguished and loyal alumni.”

He continued:

“His vast experience as a public servant for more than 40 years will bring an important focus to many domestic policy matters to enhance the broader portfolio of programs within our school of public policy. His insight and experience will lend invaluable enhancement to programming, education and research initiatives as the University of Delaware helps shape the future leaders of our society.”

Initially, the Biden Institute will be located at 44 Kent Way on UD’s Newark campus. It will be part of the School of Public Policy and Administration. The Institute, according to Assanis, will lead to new faculty, more student enrollment and university involvement in things like “smart cities, environment and energy, social justice, and disaster management.”


We asked the University if Biden would work on campus. Their simple answer? “Yes.”

Welcome home, Joe.

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