Bloomington — Defense Secretary Robert Gates will visit Indiana University in December to speak at the school’s winter commencement.

The university announced Monday that Gates also would receive an honorary degree during the Dec. 19 ceremony at Assembly Hall on the Bloomington campus.

Gates was the president of Texas A&M University when President George W. Bush named him defense secretary in 2006. President Barack Obama kept Gates in that position after he took office.

IU President Michael McRobbie said Gates is an immensely respected public servant and one of IU’s most distinguished graduates.

Gates received a master’s degree in history from IU in 1966.

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