The University will hold its 216th Commencement outside May 21.

The main commencement ceremony will take place on the University Green at 8:20 a.m. Tickets are not required, according to a UVM press release.

The University decided to hold the ceremony outside in anticipation of good weather, according to the press release.

This year’s commencement speaker is James Fallows, a journalist and author, according to a Jan. 1 press release.

Fallows is a national correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly, and has also served as editor of the U.S. News and World Report, according to the press release.

He was former President Jimmy Carter’s chief speechwriter from 1977 to 1979, according to the press release.

Fallows writes about national security policy, international relations, economics, the development of technology and emerging trends in American civic life, according to UVM’s website.

The eight colleges and schools of the University will hold their ceremonies throughout the day, according to the press release, and each of the ceremonies will be webcasted live on the Vermont PBS website.

“I am pleased that Mr. Fallows will be with us on Commencement Day 2017 to share his timely perspectives from his distinguished and storied career,” Sullivan stated in a Jan. 23 letter to the UVM community.