Iona has announced the keynote speaker for this year’s undergraduate commencement. His Eminence, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan will address the graduates at the ceremony to be held on May 17. The location and other details are still being determined and will be announced in the coming months.

Dolan has been viewed as a major reason for the Catholic Church’s increasing return to influence in New York state and America in general. Last year, the conclave of bishops considered choosing Dolan as the next pope. He was passed over in favor of the current Pope Francis.

Cardinal Dolan has been known for his criticism of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and for his involvement in investigating sexual abuse accusations at some of his previous positions. Dolan was named the Archbishop of New York in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI. Before that, he had served as the Archbishop of Milwaukee, Wisc., from 2002 to 2009, and was the Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis, his hometown, from 2001 to 2002.

Dolan was elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2010. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him to the College of Cardinals in 2012.