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<p>Vice President Joseph Biden Jr. was named the Benjamin Franklin Presidential Practice Professor at the University of Pennsylvania in an announcement from the school on Tuesday morning.</p><p>Biden will take the lead at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, which opens later this year in Washington, D.C. The center will focus on diplomacy, foreign policy and national security.</p><p>&#8220;Joe Biden is one of the greatest statesmen of our times,&#8221; university president Amy Gutmann said in the statement. &#8220;His unsurpassed understanding of diplomacy and far-ranging grasp of world issues make him an ideal fit to further Penn&#8217;s global engagement.&#8221;</p><p>Rumors about Biden joining the Ivy League school as a faculty member began swirling before President Barack Obama left the Oval Office in January.</p><p>The former vice president has many ties to the university: His late son Beau, daughter Ashley and granddaughter Naomi are all graduates. Also, Biden received an honorary degree from Penn in 2013 after he delivered the commencement address. He has made several campus appearances in the past.</p><p>&#8220;At Penn, I look forward to building on the work that has been a central pillar of my career in public office: promoting and protecting the post-WWII international order that keeps the United States safe and strong,&#8221; said Biden, who served 36 years in the U.S. Senate before he was tapped as Obama&#8217;s running mate in 2008.</p><p>The Pennsylvania-born politician will have an office on the Penn campus in Philadelphia, but he is not currently scheduled to teach any classes. A Penn spokesperson said Biden would engage with students in a variety of activities on the Philadelphia campus.</p><p>Ezekiel Emanuel, vice provost for global initiatives, said Biden&#8217;s ability to teach foreign policy from his first-hand experience with international relations will set Penn apart from rivals.</p><p>&#8220;The Penn Biden Center and I will be engaging with Penn&#8217;s wonderful students while partnering with its eminent faculty and global centers to convene world leaders, develop and advance smart policy, and impact the national debate about how America can continue to lead in the 21st century,&#8221; Biden said.</p><p>At age 29, Biden became the youngest person elected to the U.S. Senate in representing Delaware and served as the nation&#8217;s 47th vice president for two terms. His government experiences have provided a depth of knowledge about foreign affairs and national security.</p><p>One of Obama&#8217;s last acts in office was awarding Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom, with Distinction, the highest civilian honor in the United States.</p><p>&#8220;To know Joe Biden is to know love without pretense, service without self regard, and to live life fully,&#8221; Obama said during the ceremony.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Vice President Joe Biden pauses between mock swearing in ceremonies in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, as the 115th Congress begins. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Biden-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Vice President Joe Biden pauses between mock swearing in ceremonies in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, as the 115th Congress begins. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Maya Earls</p><p>Tribune Staff Writer</p></bylineMeta></div>

Biden joins faculty at University of Pennsylvania