Jon Huntsman Jr., former U.S. ambassador to China, will deliver this year’s Founder’s Day Student Address, the Washington University Alumni Association has announced.

Huntsman, who resigned his post as an ambassador in 2011 to pursue nomination for the Republican Party’s presidential candidacy, will speak to students before giving the keynote address at the Founder’s Day celebration later in the evening. His speech, the Alumni Association announced Tuesday, will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 3-4 p.m. in May Auditorium.

Senior Liz Hay, president of the Student Alumni Ambassador Program (SAAP), expects the student address to be similar in content to the keynote address, centering on Huntsman talking about his leadership experiences, particularly being an ambassador to China. He will then open the discussion for a Q-and-A in which students can address him firsthand.

The process of selecting the Founder’s Day speaker took about a year, according to Hay. A five-10 person committee was responsible for the planning of Founder’s Day, which, in addition to choosing the speaker, is in charge of deciding which alumni and faculty would receive awards at the Founder’s Day celebration.

Although the evening’s Founder’s Day celebration is primarily attended by alumni, Hay noted that many students, such as Student Union executives and members of SAAP, also attend the event to interact with alumni.

“It’s a great way for the alumni to hear from the students, hear what’s going on and really reconnect with the student body,” Hay said.