VP Pence To Deliver Commencement At Wisconsin Lutheran College

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to return to Wisconsin days after conclusion of the Republican National Convention to deliver the commencement address Saturday at Wisconsin Lutheran College in a suburb of Milwaukee.

The college in Franklin announced Pence's plans last week and the White House confirmed the visit on Monday. Pence was just in Wisconsin last week for a stop that coincided with the Democratic National Convention.

The commencement event Saturday is scheduled to take place outside on an athletic field. The graduation ceremony was pushed back from May due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The private college with about 1,200 students defended its decision to invite Pence in a statement posted on its website.

"We recognize that we all have varied ideologies and political viewpoints," the college wrote. "Yet, we believe it is possible within our context to leave partisan politics at the door and to celebrate America, our freedoms, Christian servant leadership, and our graduates' immense accomplishments."

More than 230 students and alumni signed an open letter posted online objecting to the visit, saying "the mere invitation of a vice president of an incredibly divisive and controversial ticket to speak in a swing state months before an election is ignorant and deceptive."