A Commencement And A Homecoming For NJ Gov

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has held season tickets for University of Delaware football for 21 years and returns often to watch the Blue Hens.

But when he goes back to his alma mater on Sunday, though, it will be to deliver the winter undergraduate commencement address.

"It's a bit of a surreal experience, to be asked to go back and do that,'' Christie said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press.

The 48-year-old governor has warm memories of his days as a UD undergrad. He met his future wife there, got his political start as student body president and says generally he "evolved'' as a person there.

"It was a great place, a great experience,'' he said. "As an undergrad, you would probably see me as one of those kids who evolved over time. I became much more confident, much more comfortable.''

If Christie is fond of Delaware, the school seems crazy about their '84 alumnus too.

He gave the commencement address in 2004 while serving as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey and was elected to the Alumni Association's Hall of Fame last year. On Sunday, he'll deliver his second commencement speech on the Newark, Del. campus.

"I'm going to talk about broadening your horizons,'' said Christie, "opening up your eyes to all the possibilities in life, not restricting yourself to what you did in college. What your vision of your life is today may not be where your life heads, and you have to use education as a way to open yourself up--not to necessarily direct yourself somewhere but to open yourself up to all the possibilities that life is going to present you.''

Christie defeated Gov. Jon Corzine, the incumbent Democrat, in 2009 to become the first Republican elected governor of New Jersey after eight years of Democratic rule. He has since become a darling of the national GOP party and is frequently mentioned as a possible 2012 presidential contender. But he insists he's not running for president--at least not in the next election.

Christie has been a polarizing figure in New Jersey, evoking strong feelings among those who support his policies and those who consider themselves detractors.

In his first year in office, he signed a 2 percent property tax cap into law and got his budget through the Democratic-controlled Legislature with few changes. He's become a nemesis of the state teachers union, which opposes his proposals for merit pay and an overhaul of tenure rules.

"I want to give (the graduates) a really optimistic view of what their education can provide for them if they're willing to open their minds and really be willing to follow their passion and not necessarily follow the dollars,'' Christie said.

He said the speech will be much more optimistic than the one he gave six years ago as a federal prosecutor.

"As I recall, that one was about ethics and responsibility,'' he said. "Your responsibility to make the world a better place both in your career and in your own life and how you conduct yourself.

"That was a much tougher, grimmer speech than this will be,'' he said. "This one will be serious, but optimistic.''

Christie said the only light moment of his 2004 speech was when he removed his mortar board and replaced it with a National Championship cap--just after the Hens had won the college football championship game.

He was hoping for a repeat Friday night--another national championship just before winter commencement. But those hopes were dashed when Delaware couldn't hold a 19-0 second-half lead and fell to Eastern Washington 20-19 in the FCS title game.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)