It started with a letter.
When Arizona State University officials got word that President Barack Obama would likely speak at a couple of university commencement ceremonies this spring, they quickly drafted a two-page letter in hopes of getting him at ASU.
They got right to the point.
“As president of Arizona State University, it is my distinct honor and pleasure to inform you that the university has selected you as our 2009 commencement speaker,” ASU President Michael Crow wrote in the March 12 letter.
The White House accepted.
On Wednesday, Obama will become the first U.S. president to speak at an ASU commencement.
The crowd expected to attend ASU’s commencement has swelled to 63,000 and appears to be the largest U.S. audience the president will have addressed since his inauguration.