Lake Area Tech officials say President Barack Obama is scheduled to give the commencement address to the graduating class of 2015.
Luann Strait is with Lake Area Technical Institute.
The two-year school is located in Watertown and one of many technical schools around the state.
Strait says the announcement came as a surprise.
“We’re speechless. It’s something you just have a hard time getting your head around. But, I think it means a lot for the students. What an opportunity for them. You know they selected us because of the Aspen Award that we received as a top two year college in the nation. I think it’s just a culmination of all the things we’re doing right and they’re acknowledging that,“ says Strait.
President Obama has called for new programs that make community college in the United States free to attend as long as qualifying students maintain high enough grades. The president says this helps keep the United States competitive with several other countries around the world that offer free higher education.
Mr. Obama plans to speak in Watertown on May 8 at 4:00 p.m. It’s the president’s first visit to South Dakota. This is the last state in the union he has not yet visited.
