President Bush will not speak at commencement this year, the UA announced Monday afternoon.

Alumnus Steve Kerr, a former professional basketball player, will deliver the commencement speeches and the graduation will be returned to McKale Center, where it will be divided into a morning and afternoon ceremony.

BushÕs office called UA President Peter Likins to inform him that Bush would not speak at the graduation, a possibility that Likins had characterized as remote since sending the invitation to the White House a month ago.

To accommodate the possibility of a Bush speech, the UA announced recently that the commencement would be consolidated into a single ceremony, which would be held in McKale Center.

But according to Monday's announcement, the graduation will be split into two ceremonies and held in McKale Center, its location for the past three decades.

Kerr, a player at UA from 1984-1988, led the Cats to the 1988 Final Four. He went on to win four NBA Championships with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs. Kerr's basketball jersey hangs in McKale Center.

Commencement is scheduled for May 15.