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SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, will give the commencement address for the Johns Hopkins University class of 2024 in Baltimore on May 23, the school announced Thursday.
The Republican senator's reputation as a lawmaker willing to work across party lines on legislation was prominent in a video released by the well-known private research university announcing Romney as the commencement speaker.
"Democracy means we need to be able to work together," said Romney, who announced last year he would not seek reelection. "Graduates from our great universities like Johns Hopkins can make a difference."
Ron Daniels, the president at Johns Hopkins University, said, "Romney's track record of public and private leadership is extraordinary. He has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to working with colleagues from across the political aisle to improve the lives of America's citizens in areas ranging from health care delivery and gun safety to environmental protection and infrastructure investment."
"At a time when our politics are at serious risk of being undermined by extreme polarization, Sen. Romney reminds us that the spirit of compromise and civic friendship — even among political rivals — remains a vital and relevant foundation of our democracy," Daniels added.
Romney's address is likely to focus on bridging divides in politics, according to the university.
"There's extraordinary division, enmity, and vitriol that we see day to day. It makes it very hard for us to accomplish very much here in Washington, if anything at all, and if we're going to be able to deal with the challenges like climate change, the massive debt, we're going to have to have people that can work together," Romney said. "That means recognizing that the differences are something we can learn from, not something we should demonize. That's not actually the message of the day in the world of politics."
It won't be the first time the senator and former Republican presidential nominee will address a graduation crowd. Romney warned against "demagogues on the right and the left" during an election year address at Trine University graduation in May 2016 — CNN called it a "thinly veiled shot at Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders." He also addressed graduates at the conservative Christian school Liberty University in 2012, and at Jacksonville University in 2015, among others.
Romney earned his bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in Provo and went on to earn a law degree and MBA at Harvard University.
