Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Joseph R. Biden Jr. L’68 Becomes First Syracuse University Alumnus Elected President

Saturday, November 7, 2020, By News Staff
Share
alumniCollege of Law
Joe Biden at podium in front of Syracuse University seal

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Joseph R. Biden Jr. L’68 today became the 46th president of the United States. Biden, who received a juris doctor from the College of Law in 1968, is the first Syracuse University alumnus to hold the highest office in the country.

President-elect Biden has returned to the University on many occasions, including to speak at the College of Law Commencement in 1994, 2002, 2006 and 2016. He was also the University’s Commencement speaker and received an honorary degree in 2009.

Biden has frequently spoken about his fondness for the University and the College of Law and their loyalty to him. “The type of loyalty that this school has extended to me is truly rare and genuinely welcoming,” he said during his 2016 address. “It was the same for my son, Beau, who loved Syracuse as well.” Biden’s late son, Joseph R. “Beau” Biden III, was a 1994 graduate of the College of Law.

In May, as part of Syracuse University’s recognition of the Class of 2020, Biden congratulated the new graduates—a class graduating amid an unprecedented global pandemic. “We have a real opportunity to come out of this crisis stronger than we’ve ever been. And this Class of 2020, you’re going to be a big part of that,” Biden said. “I can’t wait to see what you all accomplish. We need you. Go Orange!”

President-elect Biden received the University’s Chancellor’s Medal in 1974; the Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award in 2003; and the George Arents Pioneer Medal, the University’s highest alumni award, in 2005. In 2018, he was honored with a prestigious Syracuse Law Honors Award from the Syracuse University Law Alumni Association and the College of Law. The award is conferred on alumni and friends of the college for extraordinary career accomplishments and service to the college, Syracuse University, the legal profession and society as a whole.

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • New Students Share Their Campus Must-Haves (Video)
    Tuesday, August 26, 2025, By News Staff
  • Maxwell Welcomes International Professionals for Anti-Drug Trafficking Program
    Monday, August 25, 2025, By Jessica Youngman
  • Call for Focus Group Participants for Bird Library Assistive Technology Room
    Monday, August 25, 2025, By Cristina Hatem
  • Syracuse Views Fall 2025
    Monday, August 25, 2025, By News Staff
  • University’s Human Dynamics Programs Realign to Strengthen Collaboration and Community Impact
    Monday, August 25, 2025, By News Staff

More In Campus & Community

New Students Share Their Campus Must-Haves (Video)

What’s the one thing you couldn’t live without when you moved from your hometown to the Syracuse University campus? SU News posed this question to first-year and transfer students as they moved into residence halls during Welcome Week. From the…

Message to the Orange Community

Dear Orange Students, Faculty, Staff, Alumni, Families, and Friends: As a new academic year begins, I’ve been thinking a lot about what lies ahead—not just for our University, but for me personally and professionally. After much reflection, I’ve decided that…

Convocation 2025: Welcoming New Students (Video)

Members of the Class of 2029 were encouraged by a seasoned Syracuse University student to step out of their comfort zones during this year’s New Student Convocation, held Aug. 21 in the JMA Wireless Dome. The event marked the official…

Call for Focus Group Participants for Bird Library Assistive Technology Room

Syracuse University Libraries’ is seeking student participants for two focus groups this fall to provide feedback on the assistive technology room in Bird Library. The assistive technology room, Room 123 in Bird Library, houses such equipment as screen readers and…

Falk College of Sport Driving Innovation and Excellence in Sport-Related Industries (Podcast)

David B. Falk College of Sport Dean Jeremy Jordan looks at the academics of sport through four lenses: business, human performance, technology and community well-being. Innovation and novel ideas drive all those areas in this first-of-its-kind college to focus on sport-connected…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.