President Barack Obama will address the current state of the media when he speaks at a Syracuse University event next month, a White House spokesman said Friday.

“I do expect the president to engage in a conversation about where our media is and the importance of making sure that we have thoughtful, reflective public discussions on a lot of the pressing issues facing our country,” Principal Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz said Friday on Air Force One.

Obama will be the keynote speaker at the Toner Prize award celebration March 28 in Washington, D.C. The Toner Prize, awarded by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at SU, was created to honor the memory of SU alumna and political reporter Robin Toner, who died in 2008.

“He will not only pay tribute to Robin’s work, but also underscore her commitment to journalistic excellence,” Schultz said.

Obama will become the second sitting president to speak at an SU event. Lyndon B. Johnson spoke at the university in 1964.