BATON ROUGE -- U.S. Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen, President Bush's pick for the next chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, will be the keynote speaker at Southern University's summer graduation on July 27.

Associated Press

U.S. Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen

Mullen, who is the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, was scheduled to speak at Southern before he was nominated to become the president's top military officer.

But Southern interim Chancellor Margaret Ambrose said Saturday that Mullen is still confirmed to speak even after he became a much-bigger public figure last week.

Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates decided recently that chairman of the U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace would not be reappointed for another term.

Gates said Mullen is being nominated to replace Pace, beginning in September.

Southern's commencement is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. July 27 at the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

Mullen earned a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, a master's from the Naval Postgraduate School and he is a graduate of the advanced management program at Harvard University.

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