Former U.S. President George W. Bush attends a game between the Southern Methodist Mustangs and the Baylor Bears at McLane Stadium on August 31, 2014 in Waco, Texas. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Former US president George W. Bush will be Southern Methodist University's commencement speaker, student newspaper The Daily Campus reports.

The Daily Campus notes several connections between the former president and the university — SMU is home to the George W. Bush Presidential Center, and his wife Laura Bush, an alumna, sits on the school's Board of Trustees. As governor of Texas, Bush previously spoke at SMU's commencement in 1999.

"This Commencement is especially noteworthy because 2015 is the 100-year anniversary of SMU's opening. So it is fitting that we should hear from a president who led our nation and the world during historic times and is a valued member of the campus community," SMU President R. Gerald Turner in a press release, according to The Daily Campus.

Other notable commencement speakers announced this year include former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick at Harvard University and UN Ambassador Samantha Power at the University of Pennsylvania.