The University of Hawaii at Manoa says the chairman of the National Endowment of the Humanities is due to be the featured speaker at this month’s undergraduate commencement.

Jim Leach is the ninth chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He previously spent 30 years in Congress representing southeastern Iowa in the U.S. House. The former Republican lawmaker has also served as public and international affairs professor at Princeton University.

More than 1,500 students from the Manoa campus are eligible to receive bachelor’s degrees at the undergraduate ceremony scheduled for May 14 at Stan Sheriff Center.

The school said Thursday Gov. Neil Abercrombie is due to speak at a separate ceremony on the 14th for about 800 students due to receive graduate degrees.