Former U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison will address May graduates at the all-University commencement ceremony on Saturday May 18.

Hutchinson will also receive an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree during the ceremony.

Hutchinson was the first woman elected to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate in 1993. She is one of two women to be elected to Republican leadership. She was re-elected three times, but chose not to run for re-election in 2012.

While serving in the senate, Hutchinson was a strong supporter of improving and expanding higher education opportunities for students.

She was a key part in establishing the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas, which brings National Academy members and Nobel laureates to support academic research in Texas.

She assisted in raising more than $20 million in funds for SMU research projects.

She also established the Ray and Kay Bailey Hutchinson Scholarship at SMU’s Dedman School of Law and the Hutchinson Legal Resource Learning Center.

“Senator Hutchinson will have important insights to share with our graduates,” SMU President R. Gerald Turner said in a press release.

“Her long and distinguished career in public service and her dedication to higher education are a testament to her commitment to providing a better life for all citizens and for our nation’s future leaders.”