Sen. John Cornyn

SMU announced Tuesday that U.S. Senator John Cornyn will speak at this year’s commencement ceremony.

The second term senator currently sits on the Senate Armed Forces, Finance, Judiciary and Budget committees.

Before becoming a senator, Cornyn served in Texas as a district judge, a member of the Texas Supreme Court and as Texas Attorney General.

According to the university press release, the senator is a passionate believer in open government through public service. Student Body President Jake Torres feels that this is what makes him a good choice for his class’s commencement speaker.

“Senator Cornyn’s history of public service on both the state and federal levels shows his commitment and dedication to Texas and the country,” Torres said. “His passion for service is shared by those within the SMU community, and makes him a perfect choice to address the SMU class of 2011 as it enters a new chapter of service upon graduation.”

SMU expects to award nearly 2,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees in the commencement ceremony.

The ceremony will be held May 14 at 9:30 a.m. in Moody Coliseum.

For more information on this year’s ceremony, visit smu.edu/commencement.