LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) — Former President Jimmy Carter is this year's commencement speaker at Liberty University.

Carter will deliver the keynote address to about 18,000 graduates Saturday at the conservative Christian university in Lynchburg.

Carter will be the third U.S. president Liberty has hosted for commencement and the first Democrat. George H.W. Bush spoke in 1990, while Donald Trump spoke last year.

The university is an influential hub for conservative politics, often frequented by candidates courting evangelical voters.

Carter is a born-again evangelical as well, but with a more progressive view of Christianity.

After serving as the nation's 39th president, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, established The Carter Center, a nonprofit focused on resolving conflict, advancing democracy and human rights, preventing diseases and improving mental health care.